Pathology update: Avian influenza, African Swine Fever, evolution of the epidemiological situation in Europe

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Since mid-November 2020, Europe is facing an highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Since the beginning of the crisis, 1147 outbreaks in poultry and 2244 cases in wild birds have been identified.

This week, 116 new outbreaks has been counted in Europe, with a majority from Poland. Since the end of march 2021, the western Russia have influenza outbreak with 101 cases in wild bird ( mass death of pelicans) and 8 poultry farms contaminated.

Poultry outbreaks registered from 19 to 25 April 2021 (week 16) :

Germany : 4
Bulgaria : 1
Danmark : 1
Lithuania : 16
Poland : 69
Czech Republic : 2
Slovakia : 1
Sweden : 1
Total : 95

Wild birds outbreaks from 19 to 25 April 2021 (week 16) :

Germany : 13
Belgium : 1
Greece : 1
Italia : 1
Norway : 1
Netherlands: 2
Poland :2
Total : 21

African Swine Fever

Since several years, a global spread of the ASF has emerged. It is a highly contagious viral disease that causes huge economic losses for all the sector actors. Since 2018, China has seen its first cases of ASF, followed in 2019 by Mongolia, Vietnam and Taiwan. In Europe, the disease is been present since 2014 in Poland and Baltic state ( Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia). It has spread in Moldavia in 2016, in Romania and Czech Republic in 2017, in Hungary and Belgium in 2018 and in Germany at the end of 2020.

This week, 333 news cases has been registered. The domestic outbreaks are focused in Romania with 33 cases. Hungary has the greatest number of wild cases.

Number of domestic outbreaks registered from 19 to 25 April (week 16) 2021 :

Romania : 33
TOTAL : 33

Numbers of wild fauna registered from 19 to 25 April (week 16) 2021 :

Germany : 25
Bulgaria : 7
Hungary : 136
Latvia :2
Lituanie : 1
Poland : 35
Romania : 20
Serbia : 42
Slovakia : 32
TOTAL : 300

(Sources, plateforme ESA – Epidémiosurveillance Santé Animale)