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. 2020 Jun 30;18(6):e06194. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6194

Avian influenza overview February – May 2020

European Food Safety Authority✉; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, Cornelia Adlhoch, Alice Fusaro, Thijs Kuiken, Eric Niqueux, Christoph Staubach, Calogero Terregino, Irene Muñoz Guajardo, Francesca Baldinelli
PMCID: PMC7448026  PMID: 32874346

Abstract

Between 16 February and 15 May 2020, 290highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) virus outbreakswere reported in Europe in poultry (n=287), captive birds (n=2) and wild birds (n=1)in Bulgaria, Czechia,Germany,Hungary andPolandand two low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) A(H7N1) virus outbreaks were reported in poultry in Italy. 258 of 287 poultry outbreaks detected in Europe were secondary outbreaks, suggesting that in the large majoryty of cases the spread of the virus was not due to wild birds.Allthe HPAI outbreaks were A(H5N8) apart from three,which were reported as A(H5N2) from Bulgaria. Genetic analysis of the HPAI A(H5N8) viruses isolated from the eastern and central European countries indicates that this is a reassortant between HPAI A(H5N8) viruses from Africa and LPAI viruses from Eurasia. Two distict subtypes were identified in Bulgaria, a novel reassortant A(H5N2) and A(H5N8) that is persisting in the country since 2016. There could be several reasons why only very few HPAI cases were detected in wild birds in this 2019‐2020 epidemic season and a better knowledge of wild bird movements and virus‐host interaction (e.g. susceptibility of the hosts to this virus) could help to understand the reasons for poor detection of HPAI infected wild birds. In comparison with the last reporting period, a decreasing number of HPAI A(H5)‐affected countries and outbreaks were reported from outside Europe. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the current epidemiological situation in many countries out of Europe. Four human cases due to A(H9N2) virus infection were reported during the reporting period from China.

Suggested citation: EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), EURL (European Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza) , Adlhoch C, Fusaro A, Kuiken T, Niqueux E, Terregino C, Staubach C, Muñoz Guajardo I and Baldinelli F, 2020. Scientific report: Avian influenza overview February – May 2020. EFSA Journal 2020;18(6):6194, 47 pp. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6194

Requestor:European Commission

Question number: EFSA‐Q‐2020‐00272

Acknowledgements:In addition to the listed authors, EFSA, ECDC and the EURL wish to thank the following:Member State representatives who provided data on avian influenza outbreaks,or wrote case reports for this scientific output: Aleksandra Miteva and Gabriela Goujgoulova (Bulgaria), Lucie Kalášková, MiladaDubská and Alexander Nagy (Czechia); Timm Harder and Franz Conraths (Germany); Georgina Helyes and Malik Peter (Hungary); Paolo Mulatti (Italy);Krzysztof Smietankaand the General Veterinary Inspectorate (Poland);Martin Tinak (Slovakia); Dominique Bicout,Jan Arend Stegeman and Preben Willeberg for reviewing the document; Bianca Zecchin from IZSVe for her support in the genetic analyses of European A(H5N8); Timm Harder from FriedrichLoefflerInstitut,Inmaculada Aznar and Elisabeth Dorbek‐Kolin from EFSA for the support provided to this scientific output.

Figures 1–13, 16–16, 18–19, 21–22 and Tables 1–5 © EFSA; Figures 14 © EURL; Figures 17, 20, 23–25 © ECDC

Approved: 25 June 2020

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