While highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) appears to be under control in France — attributed to a nationwide duck vaccination program — several other European states have confirmed new outbreaks in commercial and backyard poultry over the past week.
Europe has witnessed a gradual increase in HPAI outbreaks in poultry flocks since the start of the year, with the great majority linked to the H5N1 virus serotype.
Among commercial flocks, the regional total has risen to 63, with cases recorded by 11 nations. This is according to the Animal Disease Information System by the European Commission (EC; as of February 12). Through the System, the EC monitors listed animal diseases in EU member states and some adjacent countries.
Registering the most outbreaks to date in 2025 have been Italy and Poland — each with 21. Recording between one and seven outbreaks in this category since the start of the year have been Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary. Lithuania, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The first outbreaks of 2025 have been recorded in the past two weeks by Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
Further detail on the Bosnia-Herzegovina outbreak is provided in the notification from the nation’s veterinary authority to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Contact with wild birds is thought to be the most likely source of infection with the H5N1 HPAI virus in a flock of 88 birds in East Sarajevo city. All but three of the poultry died. It was the country’s first outbreak linked to this virus since 2006.
So far in 2025, Poland has recorded 23 HPAI outbreaks on poultry farms, according to the chief veterinary office (as of February 13). Directly impacted by the same virus variant have been close to 2.02 million birds.
In Italy, animal health authority IZSVe has confirmed 56 outbreaks linked to the same virus since October 1 last year. More than 4.3 million poultry have been lost to the disease since that date, according to WOAH data.
France takes 'One Health' approach to avian influenza
Citing concerns over a recent global spike in transmission of HPAI virus to humans, the agriculture ministry has announced it is taking a collaborative approach with the nation’s various health agencies over the prevention and control of these viruses.
While the level of risk to human health in the general population is assessed by global and European health agencies as “low,” the ministry reports the risk to be “low to moderate” in people who are more exposed, such as poultry farm workers. This risk assessment was published recently by the agencies in Europe.
To prepare for a possible future pandemic, the French authorities have put in place a number of measures.
Among these, the ministry cites its mandatory duck vaccination strategy. Since this came into effect in October of 2023, close to 62 million ducks across France have been vaccinated.
Compared with previous HPAI “seasons,” the country has recorded a dramatic reduction in outbreaks so far in 2024-2025.
Indeed, the French authorities have recently declared to WOAH that the HPAI H5N1 situation in the country’s poultry has been “resolved.” The declaration followed confirmation of just three outbreaks between December 23 and February 4 — all in the Normandy region.
British egg body calls for nationwide housing order
As more HPAI outbreaks were confirmed in Great Britain (G.B.) recently, one of the nation’s poultry organizations has called for a nationwide mandatory housing order to be put in place.
At the end of January, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association BFREPA called on the government to reconsider its approach on this aspect of disease control with urgency.
“We need to get ahead of the curve on this dreadful disease, and will continue to make the case for a G.B.-wide Housing Order to protect the welfare of our birds and our farmers, said Gary Ford, BFREPA head of strategy.
In recent days, the government’s agriculture department Defra has enlarged the area covered by a housing order for all poultry under the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ). From February 16, this will also cover the following areas of England: Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, Merseyside, and Lancashire. Already covered by the order are East Riding of Yorkshire, city of Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Shropshire, York, and North Yorkshire. Elsewhere in England, all poultry owners are required to comply with enhanced biosecurity to protect their flocks from contact with wild birds.
Earlier this week, a ban came into effect across England on gatherings involving chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and other at-risk avian species.
So far this year, 16 outbreaks linked to the H5N1 HPAI have been confirmed on poultry farms in England, with one Scottish farm also affected.
Disease developments in Great Britain are not included in the EC’s System.
More outbreaks in Europe’s captive birds, wild animals
Further HPAI outbreaks involving captive birds were registered with the EC in nine countries over the past two weeks. This category includes backyard poultry flocks, zoos, and similar premises.
Recording their first outbreaks of 2025 over this period have been Austria, Hungary, and Moldova.
As of February 12, a total of 37 outbreaks in this category have been logged with the EC in 12 countries.
Already this year, wild birds have tested positive for HPAI virus widely across Europe. To the EC, 24 countries have confirmed one of more cases. Of these, 23 have confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus serotype, while the H5N5 variant has been detected only in Germany and Iceland.
Italy has recently confirmed to WOAH the country’s first cases of HPAI H5N1 infection in non-avian species since April of 2023.
According to the latest update, these have involved two red foxes — one found in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in October, and one in Lombardy on January 24 — and one domestic cat at a poultry farm in Emilia-Romagna at the end of December.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation in poultry, and on disease developments in the U.S. dairy sector.
