The U.N. Food and Agriculture Office (FAO) warned Monday that a new avian influenza strain detected in Europe poses a significant threat to the poultry sector, especially in poorer countries situated along the Black Sea and along East Atlantic migratory routes of wild birds. The FAO said in a statement that Germany, the Netherlands, and Britain have confirmed the new bird-flu virus strain H5N8 in poultry farms, and German authorities also have found the virus in a wild bird. Earlier this year, China, Japan, and South Korea reported outbreaks of H5N8 in poultry, migratory birds, and waterfowl. The fact that the virus now has been found within a very short time in three European countries, both in a wild bird and in three very different poultry production systems, suggests that wild birds may have played a role in spreading the virus, FAO experts said. While H5N8 so far has not been confirmed to infect people, the FAO said it is highly pathogenic for domestic poultry, causing significant morality in chicken and turkeys. The virus also can infect wild birds, which show little sign of illness. The best way for countries to safeguard against major impact is to encourage better biosecurity and to maintain surveillance systems that detect outbreaks early and enable veterinary services to respond rapidly, the FAO said.
