Sweden today joined the growing list of European countries facing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), while South Korea detailed four outbreaks of H5N6, and Russia reports H5 avian flu activity.
According to the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture, officials detected H5N8 avian flu in two locations in the southern tip of the country. Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease blog, posted the developments today.
The disease was detected in Vellinge and Helsingborg, two villages near the Danish border. Vellinge confirmed that a wild bird was found dead and tested positive for H5N8, while a flock of laying hens outside of Helsingborg were infected with an H5 avian influenza, but officials have yet to determine the exact type.
Germany warns of more avian flu
Sweden's announcement comes on the same day the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, a European animal health organization, issued a warning that H5N8 was spreading quickly across Europe and seemed more transmissible than previous strains of avian flu, according to a Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Agence France-Presse (DPA/AFP) story.
"We are currently seeing an extremely dynamic process with a strong tendency to spread," said the institute's president, Thomas Mettenleiter. Several countries, including Israel, Japan, South Africa, and South Korea have restricted imports of German poultry, which could mean a financial hit to Germany's agricultural sector.
H5N8 has been detected in several European countries, including 10 states in Germany, and neighboring Austria and Switzerland. It has also been detected in India and Iran. The current H5N8 strain was first reported in Siberian waterfowl in June. The birds carried the virus south and west, following seasonal migration patterns.
H5N6 in South Korea
In other developments, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) released two reports today confirming H5N6 in South Korea. So far 50,000 birds from poultry farms in North Chungcheong province in the center of the country and South Jeolla province in the south have been culled to control the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza. The outbreaks began on Nov 16.
There are now four poultry farms in South Korea reporting HPAI, prompting South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture (MAFRA) to raise the nation's alert level to a "severe" status, according to Avian Flu Diary.
H5 in southwestern Russia
Finally today, OIE reported H5 activity in backyard birds in two villages in southwestern Russia. Four carcasses have tested positive for H5 viruses, and further laboratory testing will determine which specific type the birds died from.
On Nov 7, 42 backyard birds died in Oktyabrsky, and 95 died in Yashaltinsky district. Genomic sequencing showed that the birds were infected with the Asian HPAI virus H5 lineage A/Guandong/1/96, clade 2.3.4.4.
See also:
Nov 23 Avian Flu Diary Sweden post
Nov 23 DW story
Nov 23 OIE South Korea report
Nov 23 Avian Flu Diary South Korea post
Nov 23 OIE Russia post
