EFSA warns of rapid spread

A warning of a high risk of avian flu spreading to previously unaffected EU countries has been issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). According to a report from the authority in Parma, the virus is currently spreading rapidly in many European countries. In October, more than 300 cases were reported in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Most cases, according to EFSA, were found in wild birds. However, there have also been a few outbreaks in domesticated poultry flocks. In its new investigation, the Authority considers that wild birds are highly likely to transmit the virus to poultry. Already in October, health experts from Parma warned that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) could spread rapidly to Western Europe, following outbreaks in wild and domestic birds in Western Russia and Kazakhstan this summer. Read more