Bird flu is spreading rapidly across Europe. Since August, 56 outbreaks have been recorded in ten EU countries and the UK, the highest number for the start of a season in a decade. This was reported by the French animal health surveillance agency ESA, reports Reuters.
Despite the significant number of cases, the overall level of infections remains lower than in 2022, when the European Union faced the largest bird flu crisis in history. In comparison, 31 outbreaks of the disease, which is mainly spread by migratory wild birds, were detected during the same period last year.
“All these cases in Europe show that the virus is still far from disappearing”, said Yann Nedelek, director of the French poultry industry group Anvol.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Welfare, the first cases of bird flu this season were recorded in Slovakia and Belgium. In Belgium, the authorities ordered all poultry to be kept indoors. Two outbreaks were detected in France, which has already started annual vaccination of ducks on farms. The increase in bird flu cases is also being recorded in Spain, Germany and Poland, one of the largest poultry producers in the EU.
The World Health Organisation says the risk of people contracting the virus remains low. However, cases of infection have been observed among those who have had close contact with sick animals. The WHO emphasizes that it is necessary to strengthen control of the virus, as it is increasingly transmitted to other animal species, not just birds.
At the same time, the bird flu virus is increasingly being detected in mammals. It has been recorded in a dolphin that died in the United States, in a British sheep, subantarctic seals, elephant seals, as well as in tigers, lions and panthers in Vietnam.
