ANDBetween October 2021 and September 2022, 37 European countries were affected by avian flu and nearly 2,500 outbreaks detected on farms across the continent, according to a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Center for Prevention and Prevention. disease control (ECDC) and the European Union Reference Laboratory.
The losses of chickens, ducks or turkeys on farms are actually more considerable, because this estimate of 50 million birds killed does not include preventive slaughters that could be carried out around hearths, the health agency said.
The outbreak has not abated since September and contamination is also doubling as winter approaches. EFSA points out that, “for the first time”, there was no clear separation between two epidemic waves, as the virus did not disappear in favor of the summer. And this autumn, at the same time, the epidemic has already been more virulent than last year, with 35% more infected farms.
400 homes since September
Between 10 September and 2 December 2022, nearly 400 outbreaks were recorded on farms in 18 European countries, led by France, the United Kingdom and Hungary.
The virus has also been detected more than 600 times in wild birds and especially waterfowl (ducks, swans), which may, according to this report, have contributed to the spread of the virus within farms.
Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease to which all bird species are probably susceptible. There is no scientific indication that this virus is also dangerous to humans.
Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA is “currently assessing the availability of HPAI vaccines for poultry and examining possible vaccination strategies”. The results of this work, long awaited by farmers, will be known in the second half of 2023.
