Avian flu, new outbreak in Verona province

A recent avian influenza outbreak has been confirmed in Vigasio, in the province of Verona, on a farm with 800,000 laying hens. This brings the total number of outbreaks in the region to 24, compared to 23 in Lombardy, thus bringing the total number of avian flu outbreaks in Italy to 53, which have also affected Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna. During a meeting with regional poultry companies convened by ‘Confagricoltura Veneto’ at the Padua headquarters in Albignasego, Calogero Terregino, director of the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences of the ‘Istituto Zooprofilattico delle Venezie,’ provided an overview of the epidemiological situation. The data relating to the epidemic are considerable, with millions of animals slaughtered and activities blocked due to the ZUR (Further Restriction Zones) established in the affected territories, as reported by over 250 breeders who participated in the meeting. The criticality of the current situation necessitates adopting more adequate biosecurity measures than those currently in force, including the opportunity to use a vaccine currently tested between Italy and the Netherlands. The development of novel vaccines, particularly for turkeys and laying hens, is underway, and this subject will be addressed on 22 January in Rome at the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF).