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. 2020 Nov 24;18(11):e06341. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6341

Avian influenza overview – update on 19 November 2020, EU/EEA and the UK

European Food Safety Authority✉; European Centre for Disease Prevention Control and European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, Cornelia Adlhoch, Alice Fusaro, José L Gonzales, Thijs Kuiken, Stefano Marangon, Éric Niqueux, Christoph Staubach, Krzysztof Smietanka, Calogero Terregino, Yves Van der Stede, Inma Aznar, Francesca Baldinelli
PMCID: PMC7684971  PMID: 33281979

Abstract

Since 16 October 2020, outbreaks ofhighly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruseshavebeen reported inseveral EU/EEAcountries –Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Swedenas well asin the United Kingdom.As of 19 November,12pm, 302 HPAI A(H5) detections have been reported, with the majority of the detections referring to wild birds (n=281), and a few related to outbreaks in poultry (n=18) and captive birds (n=3). Most of the detections in wild birds were in wild waterbirds,being barnacle goose the most affected species (n=110), followed by greylag goose (n=47), Eurasian wigeon (n=32),mallard (n=14), and common buzzard (n=13).ThreeHPAI virus subtypes were identified, A(H5N8), A(H5N5) and A(H5N1), with A(H5N8) being the most reported subtype (n=284). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the viruses evolved from a single progenitor virus thatwent through multiple reassortment events. Based on the ongoing autumn migration of wild waterbirds to their wintering areas in Europe, there is a continued risk of further introduction of HPAI A(H5) viruses into Europe. Furthermore, given the expected movements of both migratory, and resident wild birds in Europe during winter, there is a high risk of further spread of HPAI A(H5) viruses within Europe. No genetic markers indicating adaptation to mammals have been identified in the viruses analysed so far,andno human infection due to avian influenza viruses detected in the recent outbreakshas been reported. For that reason,the risk to the general population remains very low.However,following the precautionary principle, people should avoid touching sick or dead birds unprotected to minimise any potential risk.

Keywords: avian influenza, HPAI/LPAI, monitoring, poultry, captive birds, wild birds, humans

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, Gonzales JL, Kuiken T, Marangon S, Niqueux É, Smietanka K, Staubach C, Terregino, Van der Stede Y, Aznar I and Baldinelli F, 2020. Avian influenza overview – update on 19 November 2020, EU/EEA and the UK. EFSA Journal 2020;18(11):6341, 20 pp. 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6341

Requestor:European Commission

Question number: EFSA‐Q‐2020‐00744

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: Mieke Steensels (Belgium),Anja Globig,Christian Grund (Germany) and Nancy Beerens (The Netherlands);Ian Brown from APHA (United Kingdom) and Ilya Chvala from Federal Center for Animal Health (FGBI ‘ARRIAH’, Russia) for sharing sequence data; Stephen Baillie (EURING) andJonas Waldenström (Limnaeus University)for the support with the wild birds data and sections; theworking group AImpact2021 for the data on mortality in the Netherlands; Bianca Zecchin and Isabella Monne (IZSVe) for the support with the genetic analyses; we gratefully acknowledge the authors, originating and submitting laboratories of the sequences from GISAID's EpiFlu™ Database on which this research is based. The list is detailed in Annex B.

Approved: 19 November 2020

This article was originally published on the EFSA website www.efsa.europa.eu on 20 November 2020 as part of EFSA's urgent publication procedures.

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