Amongst business poultry flocks in Asia, additional outbreaks of extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. Three additional human instances in Asia have confirmed infections with flu viruses of avian origin.
Up to now this season, Japan and South Korea have recorded a sluggish however regular rise in HPAI outbreaks affecting their respective poultry sectors. Complete confirmed outbreaks stand at 13 and 12, respectively.
Japan’s first instances linked to the H5N1 serotype of the HPAI virus had been confirmed in mid-October.
Over the previous two weeks, the nationwide veterinary authority has notified the World Organisation for Animal Well being (WOAH) that three extra poultry farms have been hit by the virus.
The primary occurred on November 24, affecting round 2,500 meat geese within the Gyoda metropolis space. It’s situated in Saitama prefecture within the Kanto area, which incorporates Tokyo. In Miyazaki prefecture on essentially the most southwestern fundamental island of Kyushu, a flock of round 35,000 meat chickens confirmed indicators of the illness within the first week of December. Seven days later, the virus was detected in a flock of roughly 150,000 laying hens in Ehime prefecture. That is situated on Shikoku, the island south of Honshu.
Primarily based on WOAH notifications, greater than 1.2 million poultry in Japan have been instantly impacted by HPAI since mid-October.
Over the previous two weeks, the agriculture ministry of South Korea has confirmed 5 additional outbreaks of farms linked to the identical virus serotype. They create the nation’s complete outbreaks since late October to 12.
Newest to be affected have been three flocks of meat geese (comprising round 18,000, 22,000, and 32,000 birds), and two of laying hens (94,000 and 140,000). All three duck farms had been situated in North Jeolla province within the southwest of the nation, whereas the egg flocks had been in North Gyeongsang within the east, and South Chungcheong within the southeast.
In contrast with 2023, the ministry famous that HPAI was first detected in South Korea one month earlier this 12 months. It expects the height arrival of untamed migratory birds this month, indicating the highest threat of virus transmission from probably contaminated wild species to home and wild native birds.
Each Japan and South Korea have registered with WOAH additional instances of H5N1 HPAI of their respective wild chicken populations over the previous two weeks.
HPAI outbreaks elsewhere in Asian poultry
The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye) recorded the presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus for the primary time this season at the tip of October. Since then, six outbreaks have been reported to WOAH, instantly impacting near 11 million business birds.
The most recent to be affected was a farm with greater than 341,000 poultry in Afyon province in western Turkey. Up to now, the Turkish outbreaks have occurred in two distinct clusters situated in Afyon and the adjoining province of Konya.
In the meantime, the authorities in Taiwan (Republic of China) have registered with WOAH one additional HPAI outbreak. Involving a small business flock of meat geese, this introduced the territory’s complete outbreaks since June of 2024 to eight.
Moreover, WOAH has been notified of 5 extra wild chicken instances in Taiwan, and one within the Particular Administrative Area of Hong Kong.
Replace on HPAI scenario in New Zealand
Ongoing testing and monitoring of an East Otago poultry farm continues, in accordance with the newest replace from accountable ministry dated December 9. Depopulation of a complete of 160,000 laying birds in 4 poultry homes at the positioning was anticipated to be accomplished on that date. It was deliberate to maneuver on to hold out the identical course of for a flock of 40,000 rearing chickens in a separate constructing on the similar website.
Newest replace to WOAH places the quantity of birds culled on the outbreak website at 194,500, with mortalities of three,500.
Within the final week of November, the H7N6 HPAI virus was detected for the primary time in New Zealand on the premises in East Otago on the South Island.
3 extra human infections in Asia
Because the begin of December, the World Well being Group (WHO) has been knowledgeable about three extra confirmed instances of infections with influenza virus of avian origin within the Western Pacific area.
Two of the instances had been younger kids who examined optimistic for the influenza A(H9N2) virus within the Individuals’s Republic of China. The instances had been unrelated, and each had gentle signs. Signs in a single teenager started on the finish of October following direct contact with contaminated yard poultry in Guizhou province. In Guangxi province, a younger baby turned contaminated at a stay chicken market, with symptom onset on November 18.
Because the area’s first infections with this virus variant in 2015, WHO has been knowledgeable of 113 instances, of which 110 had been in China.
In early November, an 18-year-old male in southern Vietnam developed a fever following contact with sick and dying poultry. The presence of an H5 virus was detected within the affected person, who was admitted to hospital on account of co-morbidities. He’s reported to have recovered. That is the primary case within the area the place the N-designation of the virus just isn’t reported.
View our persevering with protection of the international avian influenza scenario in poultry, and on illness developments within the U.S. dairy sector.
