An unprecedented number of bird flu outbreaks among wild birds and their wide geographical spread are driving an early and strong wave of the disease in Europe this year, the European Food Safety Authority reported Thursday.
Highly pathogenic bird flu has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of farmed birds in recent years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices. Human cases remain rare.
Outbreaks usually peak in autumn, when migratory birds head south, but earlier cases were recorded this season, killing many wild birds, mainly common cranes along the German, French and Spanish routes, as well as large numbers of waterfowl.
Between September 6 and November 28, 2,896 detections of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses – mainly H5N1 – were reported in domestic birds in 29 European countries, with 442 in poultry and 2,454 in wild birds, EFSA reported.
“We are currently seeing an unprecedented and sharp increase in detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, mainly in wild birds,” Lisa Kohnle, EFSA’s chief scientific officer, told Reuters.
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The number of poultry outbreaks was similar to previous years, but five times higher than in 2023, and almost double than in 2021. Turkeys were the most affected.
“The interesting thing for poultry is that in previous years those epidemics were characterized by a lot of farm-to-farm spread,” Kohnle said. “This year it seems like we mostly have introductions of wild birds.”
In the case of humans, bird flu infected 19 people in four countries (Cambodia, China, Mexico and the US), killing one in Cambodia and another in the US, according to the EFSA. All cases involved exposure to birds or poultry environments.
Avian flu outbreaks in mammals were smaller than in 2022 and 2023, but remain a cause for concern due to possible mutations that could make it transmissible between humans.
Kohnle said detections are likely to continue to increase, although high wild bird mortality could prompt stricter agricultural controls and help slow the spread of the virus.
With information from Reuters
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