#17,056
Since October 1st, the UK has reported no fewer than 22 HPAI outbreaks, with 4 announced within the past 24 hours. By way of comparison, during the entire month of October a year ago, the UK reported only one outbreak (in captive birds (non poultry) at a wildlife rescue center).
As a result, recently hard hit regions of Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex will be placed under mandatory poultry housing orders starting on Wednesday, October 12th. The following update comes from the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency.The UK has also reported 35 detections in wild birds during week 40 of 2022, compared to 6 wild birds detected during October, 2021.
Oct 10th, 2022
Regional housing measures for poultry and captive birds are to be introduced in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex from 00:01 on Wednesday 12 October to help stop the spread of avian influenza (‘bird flu’).
This means that all bird keepers in these hotspots must keep their birds indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks, of whatever type or size. The Chief Veterinary Officer is now encouraging all bird keepers in the affected regions to use the next few days to prepare, including taking steps to safeguard animal welfare, consult their private vet and expand housing where necessary.
The new housing measures build on the strengthened biosecurity measures that were brought in as part of the regional Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) last month.
In addition to this, a regional AIPZ remains in place across Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset, where keepers must follow biosecurity measures. Maps of the regional AIPZs and housing measures are in our declarations.
The UK has faced its largest ever outbreak of bird flu with over 170 cases confirmed across the country since late October 2021. Check the list of confirmed avian influenza cases.
The regional housing measures and AIPZs will remain in place until further notice, and will be kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.
This does not apply to the rest of England, but all bird keepers should still follow enhanced measures at all times to prevent the risk of future outbreaks. However, additional restrictions also apply to in disease control zones in force surrounding infected premises.
The wild bird risk across Great Britain is maintained at medium and the risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is maintained at low. However, the risk to poultry with poor biosecurity has been increased to medium, in light of the increased number of infected premises observed during September and the distance of some of these, as well as wild bird cases, from the coast. All bird keepers should follow enhanced measures at all times to prevent the risk of future outbreaks.
Dr Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, said:
We are seeing a growing number of bird flu cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across the country driven by high levels of disease within wild birds. Unfortunately we expect the number of cases to continue to rise over the coming months as migratory birds return to the UK, bringing with them further risk of disease that can spread into our kept flocks.
We’re taking action already by implementing regional Avian Influenza Prevention Zones and housing measures in the worst-affected areas, but it is important that all bird keepers – wherever they are in the country – ensure that cleanliness and hygiene are at the forefront of their minds to keep their flocks safe and limit the impact of the outbreak.
Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Do not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that you find and instead report them to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. There is no impact on the consumption of properly cooked poultry products, including eggs.
All poultry gatherings, including at fairs, shows and markets, remain banned, due to a large number of flocks mixing together and the risk posed by any infections spreading across the country.
Avian influenza is in no way connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is not carried in poultry or captive birds.
We are seeing similar, early, increases in avian flu across much of Northern Europe, and here in the United States and Canada (see USDA dashboard below).
While cases decreased in frequency over the summer months, they never went away completely. Now that migratory birds are arriving from their high latitude summer roosting spots, outbreaks are becoming more frequent.
Between Europe and North America (and mostly undisclosed losses in China, Africa, and the Mideast), the past 12 months have likely been the worst avian epizootic in modern history. This from the ECDC's Avian influenza overview June – September 2022.
The 2021–2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epidemic season is the largest HPAI epidemic so far observed in Europe, with a total of 2,467 outbreaks in poultry, 47.7 million birds culled in the affected establishments, 187 outbreaks in captive birds, and 3,573 HPAI virus detections in wild birds with an unprecedent geographical extent reaching from Svalbard islands to South Portugal and Ukraine, affecting 37 European countries.
Thankfully, human infections with this 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1 have been both rare and mild, but these viruses continue to evolve and acquire mammalian adaptations, prompting the ECDC to release Guidance For Testing & Identification Of Zoonotic Influenza Infections In Humans In The EU/EAA.
While we've seen guidance documents before on zoonotic flu from the ECDC (and the CDC), the level of concern in this document is clearly elevated going into this new flu season.
But even without the potential zoonotic threat, economic losses from continued HPAI outbreaks cannot be ignored. Culling and disposing of infected birds is difficult, dangerous and expensive. Meanwhile, the price of eggs has more than tripled here in the United States , and turkey and chicken prices continue to rise.
For now, and for the foreseeable future, efforts will be focused on keeping this virus out of commercial and backyard poultry. The USDA has some advice on how to Defend The Flock at the website below.
