Bird flu is spreading rapidly in Europe, with the highest number of countries in at least a decade reporting early outbreaks, raising concerns about a repeat of past crises that led to the culling of tens of millions of birds and higher food prices.
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Meanwhile, Australian scientists have found hundreds of dead seal pups on Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic with signs that suggest they were killed by bird flu, authorities said on Friday.
The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is a concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions and a risk of a new pandemic.
The virulent strain of H5N1 bird flu has spread through wild bird and mammal populations since 2021, killing millions, infecting poultry and dairy farms and even some farmworkers.
The disease, mainly spread by migrating wild birds, caused 56 outbreaks in ten European countries and Britain from August to mid-October, mostly in Poland, the top EU poultry producer, Spain and Germany, France’s animal health surveillance body ESA said.
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This is the first time it has spread to ten EU countries this early in the season for at least a decade, although the total number of outbreaks remains lower than in 2022, when the bloc recorded its worst ever bird flu crisis.