EU measures protect poultry from bird flu

As outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spread across Europe, authorities are introducing measures to prevent further infections. In the Netherlands, a nationwide housing regulation has been introduced for commercial poultry. In addition, owners of hobby flocks have to protect their birds from wild birds. In the preceding days, the initial instances of the HPAI virus affecting poultry in the Netherlands were identified. This was followed by confirmation of an outbreak close to the Dutch border in Germany. While no cases have been reported in Belgian poultry, protective measures are now mandatory for commercial flocks. In the UK, small flock owners must register all poultry and captive birds within one month. The new rules follow an increase in the country’s HPAI risk level. A total of 38 new HPAI outbreaks in poultry in eight countries were reported last week, according to the European Commission’s Animal Disease Information System. To date, the EC system has registered a total of 382 HPAI outbreaks linked to an H5 virus variant in 19 countries. The country most severely affected has been Hungary, which has experienced a total of 183 outbreaks. The next most affected countries are Moldova (45), Poland (39), Germany (19), Bulgaria (18), Italy (17), and France (16).