From: 03/10/2022 16:14
From Portugal to Ukraine, Europe is experiencing a bird epidemic of unprecedented proportions. Millions of animals on poultry farms were culled. The risk to humans is estimated to be low.
According to EU health authority ECDC, the latest outbreak of bird flu is the worst epidemic ever recorded in Europe. Nearly 2,500 outbreaks on poultry farms were identified during the 2021-2022 avian flu season, according to an agency report. 48 million animals were killed in the attitudes.
Nearly 190 cases have been reported in animals kept elsewhere, such as zoos. According to the report, more than 3,500 cases have been found in wild birds.
37 European countries affected
The geographic extent of the outbreak is also unique and stretches from Svalbard to Portugal and Ukraine. 37 European countries are affected.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control – ECDC for short – influenza viruses in animals can sporadically lead to infections in humans and mild to severe illness. Viruses have the potential to have a major impact on public health, as previous examples have shown.
Few human broadcasts to date
Despite the strong spread and despite the avian influenza infections in mammals, there has been no transmission to humans in the European Economic Area in recent years. Worldwide, there have been only a small number of transmissions to humans with no symptoms or with mild courses. Therefore, the risk to the population is low, although slightly higher for people occupationally exposed to infected birds.
The EU official stressed the importance of testing people with respiratory diseases of unknown origin or who have had recent contact with potentially infected animals. It is extremely important to detect possible transmissions early.
Bird flu now occurs year-round
The head of the national reference laboratory for avian influenza at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) near Greifswald recently spoke of a completely new quality in relation to avian influenza. An infection on this summer’s scale is being observed for the first time, Timm Harder said. While in previous years outbreaks were mostly seasonal due to bird migration, now they occur throughout the year. All of North America is also affected. One can speak of a true pandemic in wild birds, said the expert.
More than three million birds slaughtered in Britain
According to the report, more than three million birds have already been killed as a result of outbreaks in the UK this year. Avian influenza cases were identified in 155 locations. Prevention zones were created in several regions of the country.
Because of the epidemic, warnings are already being made of an impending shortage of turkeys at Christmas time in Britain. There have already been a few cases of bird flu among poultry farmers this year, James Mottershead of the National Farmers Union told Sky News. These cases in the period before Christmas can lead to bottlenecks and production losses of up to twelve months.