Health officials report decline in bird flu cases in Europe
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed on Thursday that the bird flu situation in Europe has improved and that highly pathogenic cases have decreased.
A Joint report by EFSA and ECDC He noted that the number of outbreaks in poultry and wild birds across Europe is the lowest since 2019-2020, based on data collected between April and June this year, and added that the risk to the population “remains low.”
However, scientists from the European Union (EU) recommend Stay vigilant this coming flu season.
The improvement in the situation in Europe, according to the report, requires further investigation, although it may be due to factors such as immunity developed in wild birds after previous infection; a decline in the numbers of certain populations; or a reduction in environmental pollution.
Another reason may be changes in composition of viral genotypesaccording to the study.
Outside Europe, the study notes that for the first time in many years, Australia has seen highly pathogenic cases with subtypes of the disease that are not currently reported in the rest of the world.
Experts noted the unexpected diversity of mammal species affected by bird flu, as well as the different genotypes of the virus circulating among poultry, wild birds and mammals in North America.
Direct transmission between cattle has not yet been confirmed, although Raw cow’s milk has been found to be a new and unexpected route of infection.
CurrentlyAccording to the report, the data indicate that industrial pasteurization plays an important role in inactivating any virus that may be present in raw cow’s milk.