Zoonosis warning in Europe

Zoonotic influenza outbreaks, including avian influenza caused by the H5 strain, are subject to constant monitoring on a global scale by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), according to Steffen Thirstrup, Chief Medical Officer of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Although human transmission of the H5 virus is rare, such cases have resulted in high mortality rates, thus necessitating constant monitoring of avian viruses and their rapid mutation. In Italy, from 26 December to 4 January, 11 outbreaks of avian influenza were detected in farms located between the provinces of Mantua and Verona, often epidemiologically linked. The most recent four outbreaks, detected in the Verona area, involved two turkey farms, a chicken farm, and a laying hen farm. Concurrently, the United Kingdom has imposed a temporary ban on importing beef, sheep, and pork from Germany after a major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Brandenburg. The disease is endemic in the Middle East, Africa, parts of America, and several Asian countries. In Europe, the last outbreak occurred in Bulgaria in 2011. To contain the risk of the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, strict controls on imports of live animals from abroad must be implemented, including through triangulation between countries, as experts warn.