Many questions remain about how the highly adaptable virus infiltrates farms and spreads.
The 111 cases reported in the first half of January have already topped December's total.
In addition, Italy reports more H5N8 and Germany has an H5N5 poultry outbreak.
In its weekly Zika update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday reported only 34 new cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the United States this week, bringing the total to 4,900.
Of those cases, 4,682 are travel-related and 217 were locally acquired. There are 1,347 pregnant women with confirmed Zika in the United States, and 2,885 such women in US territories.
In the latest avian flu developments, two European countries confirmed more highly pathogenic H5N8 in wild birds, as India and Niger reported poultry outbreaks from the H5N1 subtype, according to reports to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Also, Chile's agriculture ministry yesterday reported a second low-pathogenic H7 outbreak in turkeys.
In some hard-hit areas, sampling of poultry environments in December showed increased virus levels compared with that time in past waves.
In addition to widespread H5N8, H5N1 is confirmed in Nigeria and H5N6 in Japan.
The fast pace of newly reported illnesses during China's 5th wave of illness has already topped last season's total.
Several European countries reported more H5N8 outbreaks several different settings: wild birds, poultry, and even at a zoo.
Five more human H7N9 avian flu illnesses have been reported in China, one from Henan province and four from Anhui province, according to government statements translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
