The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently issued a report outlining the avian influenza situation from March to June 2022. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in 2021 and 2022 is the largest epidemic to date observed in Europe, with a total of 2,398 poultry outbreaks in 36 European countries, 46 million birds culled in affected institutions, 168 detected in captive birds, 2733 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were detected in wild birds.

France has been hardest hit by the avian influenza.

Between 16 March and 10 June 2022, 28 EU/EEA countries and the UK reported 1,182 HPAI virus testing incidents involving poultry (750), wild birds (410) and captive-reared birds (22). During the reporting period, 86% of poultry outbreaks were due to farm-to-farm transmission of HPAI viruses. France accounts for 68 per cent of the total poultry outbreak, Hungary for 24 per cent and all other affected countries for less than 2 per cent each

There is a risk of transmission of infection in wild animals.

The highest number of reported sightings in wild birds was in Germany (158), followed by the Netherlands (98) and the United Kingdom (48). The observed persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5) virus in wild birds since the 2020-2021 epidemic wave suggests that it may have become endemic in European wild bird populations, meaning that HPAI A (H5) health risks to poultry, humans and wildlife in Europe remain year-round, The risk is highest in autumn and winter. The response to this new epidemiological situation includes the definition and rapid implementation of appropriate and sustainable HPAI mitigation strategies, such as appropriate biosecurity measures and surveillance strategies for early detection measures in different poultry production systems. Medium – to long-term strategies to reduce poultry density in high-risk areas should also be considered.

International cases

The results of genetic analysis indicate that the virus circulating in Europe belongs to the 2.3.4.4B clade. Highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5) viruses have also been identified in wild mammal species in Canada, the United States, and Japan and have shown genetic markers adapted to replicate in mammals. Since the last report was released, four A(H5N6), two A(H9N2) and two A(H3N8) human infections have been reported in China, and one A(H5N1) case has been reported in the United States. The risk of infection was assessed to be low in the general population of the EU/EEA and low to moderate among occupational contacts.

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