Avian influenza outbreaks in Italy exceed 50

The dissemination of avian influenza is escalating in Italian poultry farms, with 53 outbreaks recorded to date. Of these, 24 are concentrated in Veneto, particularly in the province of Verona, while the remainder are in Lombardy, primarily in Mantua province. The most recent report was from a farm with 800,000 laying hens in Vigasio, in the Verona area, but cases have also been recorded in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna. To contain the spread of outbreaks in farms, millions of animals have been culled and ZURs (Further Restriction Zones) have been established, where restocking activities are blocked. Concerns are also being expressed among breeders in the Mantua area. Following the initial detection of a positive case on 11 November, cases of avian influenza have proliferated, affecting various species of poultry, including laying hens, turkeys, broilers, and ducks. Despite the stringent biosecurity measures, the poultry industry remains vulnerable to external vectors of H5N1, such as wild birds, as elucidated by Alberto Cortesi, president of Confagricoltura Mantova. The spread of avian influenza is also a concern in the United States, where the Georgia Department of Agriculture has confirmed a new outbreak at a poultry farm in Elbert County. Since the beginning of the new avian flu epidemic, which began in 2022, nearly 650 farms have been affected, totaling approximately 130 million birds.