The European Union’s Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has said that Europe has experienced its worst bird flu crisis ever. The agency added that persistence of the virus may cause widespread infections next season. Nearly 50 million poultry birds have been culled in the continent.
Spred bird flu, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been a cause of concern for governments and the poultry industry. The disease can cause devastation to flocks and also raises possibility of trade restrictions and human transmission.
An unprecedented number of outbreaks were reported in wild and domestic birds this summer, causing massive mortality among sea bird breeding colonies on the north Atlantic coast according to a joint overview by the EFSA, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the EU reference laboratory.
Bird flu usually hits during autumn and winter months. It is transmitted by infected migrating wild birds’ faeces or direct contact with contaminated feed, clothing and equipment.
“As autumn migration begins and the number of wild birds wintering in Europe increases, they are likely at higher risk of HPAI infection than previous years due to the observed persistence of the virus in Europe,” Guilhem de Seze, a senior official at the EFSA, said in a statement on Monday.
(With inputs from agencies)
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