Animal disease: Bird flu is spreading – FLI increases risk levels

Greifswald. As temperatures fall and bird migration begins, bird flu infections pick up speed again. After it was relatively quiet until September, cases in wild birds and also in poultry farms have been increasing again since October, said a spokeswoman for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) near Greifswald. “This applies not only to Germany, but to all of Europe.”

With its just-published risk assessment, the Federal Research Institute responsible for animal health upgraded several risk assessments one level higher. Accordingly, the risk of entry and spread between wild birds in Germany is now assessed as high. This also applies to the risk of entries into German livestock farms through direct and indirect contact with wild birds (both previously “moderate”). Other risks, such as carryover between positions within the EU and Germany, are now assessed as moderate (previously “low”).

There had previously been repeated detections of the pathogen in northern German companies. A few days ago, evidence of bird flu - also known as avian influenza - was reported in a turkey herd with 6,000 animals in the Aurich district of Lower Saxony. The animals were culled. Also last week, evidence was reported in a holding in the Segeberg district in Schleswig-Holstein. A business in the district was already affected at the end of October.

On Friday, the first evidence of this season finally became known in a holding in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In the Rostock district, a turkey farm with a total of around 6,000 animals was affected.

Proof of this usually entails the killing of the entire population and the establishment of protection or monitoring zones in which special precautionary measures apply.

The FLI also confirmed that cases are currently occurring primarily in northern Germany. It is assumed that the increasing movement of animals during bird migration and their accumulation at resting places play a role. “October in particular is a very active month in terms of wild bird migration,” explained the spokeswoman.

“At the moment, temperatures are falling significantly after a mild early autumn,” said the spokeswoman. The colder and wetter it is, the longer the virus remains active in the environment, for example in the excrement of infected birds. "If there are cold snaps, increased movement is to be expected in wild bird populations that migrate to warmer regions. The mixtures of different populations from different regions promote virus transmission."

The situation has not yet been as dramatic as it was in the autumn of the previous year, when cranes, among others, were affected to an unprecedented extent. “Especially compared to the very strong previous year, the situation currently remains subdued,” is how the experts assess it. “However, further cases are to be expected right now due to the weather conditions combined with any wild bird movements.”

It is not possible to predict how severe the infection rate will be this season. This depends on many factors. Evidence of bird flu, especially in wild birds, is now available all year round in Germany.

Bird flu is an infectious disease that is often fatal in many species of birds and poultry. There are different forms around the world. If the infection dose is high, the virus can in principle also be transmitted to humans. According to the Robert Koch Institute, no human case has yet been reported in Germany.