Iceland has become the third country in Europe to confirm a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak linked to the H5N5 virus serotype in poultry.
According to the official notification from the national animal health agency to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the infection was confirmed on December 2. Affected was a flock of around 1,300 meat turkeys at a farm in Sudurland (Southern Region). Two hundred of the birds died, and the rest have been humanely culled to prevent further spread of the disease.
The likely source of infection is wild birds, according to the report. WOAH has been notified separately that several wild birds have tested positive for this virus variant in the country since September.
In early November, the H5N5 virus was detected on a poultry farm in northern England. A few days later, a backyard poultry flock tested positive for the same virus subtype in Norway.
7 European nations record more HPAI farm outbreaks
Over the past 10 days, WOAH has been notified of further HPAI outbreaks in commercial flocks by the veterinary agencies of five countries in the region. In each case, the presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus has been confirmed.
Since the end of September, Hungary’s poultry sector has been hit hard by a series of outbreaks on poultry farms across nine of its 19 administrative regions.
Based on official reports to WOAH, the Hungarian outbreak total is approaching 190, with ducks and/or geese affected on many of the affected premises. These developments mean that Hungary is the European state worst hit by HPAI so far since fall.
Officials in Austria have confirmed with WOAH a further four farm outbreaks, bringing the nation’s total for the season so far to six. Close to 225,000 birds have been directly impacted, with a concentration of outbreaks in the state of Lower Austria.
Meanwhile, WOAH has been notified by the Italian authority of a further two HPAI in poultry in different northern regions. Affecting a backyard flock in Emilia-Romagna, and commercial meat turkeys in Veneto, these bring the country’s total outbreaks since October to 23.
Also registering two further outbreaks in commercial birds has been Germany. In the northwestern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, a mixed flock of around 10,000 ducks and geese tested positive for the H5N1 virus in the last week of November. This was followed a few days later by an outbreak affecting 25,000 meat turkeys in Lower Saxony in the northeast of the country.
The seasonal HPAI outbreak total in the Czech Republic (Czechia) has risen to five, with confirmation of the virus in mid-November among 12,700 meat turkeys in the southeastern region of South Moravia.
In Poland, the chief veterinary office puts its total at 45 outbreaks for the year to date (as of December 4). Directly affected have been more than 3.1 million poultry.
Most recently affected were two farms rearing meat turkeys in different eastern provinces.
A second H5N1 outbreak in Great Britain was confirmed by the government’s agriculture department, Defra on December 5. Affected is a commercial flock near to Watton in Norfolk, a county in eastern England.
This outbreak will lead to the culling of thousands of free-range Christmas turkeys in the area, according to Eastern Daily Press.
Further HPAI cases in captive, wild birds
To WOAH over the past 10 days, the Czech animal health agency has confirmed that five more non-commercial poultry flocks tested positive for the H5N1 HPAI virus during the second half of last month. These bring the nation’s total for the year in this category to 36.
Each registering one further outbreak in this category with WOAH have been Austria, Poland and Ukraine.
Among their respective wild bird populations, seven countries have officially confirmed additional H5N1 infections — namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
Additionally, new cases of birds testing positive for the H5N5 virus variant have been recorded in Iceland and Norway.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation in poultry, and on disease developments in the U.S. dairy sector.
