Gloves are coming off in the global fight against bird flu
In many countries, egg prices reached record highs due to the bird flu loss of tens of millions of laying hens. Picture: iStock
The gloves are coming off in the global fight against bird flu, as the disease becomes endemic for the first time in some wild birds, and it changes to a year-round threat to poultry farmers, who previously feared it only in the months of wild bird migrations.
Outbreaks have spread in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, undefeated by summer heat or winter cold snaps.
A strain which arrived in the United States in early 2022, that was genetically similar to cases in Europe and Asia, has caused the US poultry industry's most deadly bird flu outbreak in history, with nearly 60m poultry having to be killed across the country in disease eradication efforts.
Europe was also hit with its worst-ever wave of avian flu over the past year. An unprecedented number of outbreaks from October 2021 to September 2022 hit 37 European countries, with 50m birds culled on affected poultry farms.
While the virus can infect people, usually those who have contact with infected birds, the World Health Organization says the risk to humans is low.
However, in many countries, egg prices reached record highs due to the bird flu loss of tens of millions of laying hens, putting a staple source of cheap protein out of reach of many consumers, already hit by high inflation in food prices.
Wild birds are primarily responsible for spreading the virus, according to experts. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without dying and introduce it to poultry through contaminated faeces, saliva and other means.
The virus is usually deadly to poultry, and entire flocks are culled when even one bird tests positive.
Vaccinations may reduce but not eliminate the threat from the virus, and vaccination makes it harder to detect the presence of the disease among a flock. However, Mexico and the EU are among those vaccinating, or considering vaccinating.
The European Commission has just harmonised vaccination across member states, which will theoretically allow âsafe movements of animals and products from establishments and zones where vaccination has taken placeâ.Â
However, that does not guarantee that egg or poultry meat exports out of the EU would not be banned by receiving countries if they come from areas with vaccinated flocks.
Two vaccines will soon be tested in France and might be approved for all 27 EU member states if they come through testing.
AVEC, which represents Europeâs poultry meat sector, welcomed the move to a common EU approach to vaccination, saying it would be âmore and more difficult to control HPAI without vaccinationâ. But rigorous and costly surveillance programmes to oversee vaccination strategies would be needed.
In the past week, Argentina and Uruguay each went on alert after the countries' first infections, found in wild birds.
Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia also reported their first cases in recent months.
The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among the countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year.
The virus has also infected mammals like foxes, bears and seals.
In comparison, Ireland has been relatively unscathed, with two outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 in 2022 in Co Monaghan. Eradication measures were put in place, lasting to December 22, when restriction zones were lifted.
Since November, flock keepers here have been required to confine all poultry and captive birds in secure buildings, with particular bio-security measures to prevent contact with wild birds.
