Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/27/16

Authorities in several Asian and European nations say the fallout from a variety of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks continues as even more birds are being culled to slow down the spread of the virus strains.

In Japan, 107,000 chickens will be culled in Kumamoto prefecture after 50 birds were found dead this week because of an H5 virus outbreak, according to the German Press Agency. An estimated 120,000 birds were destroyed last week after confirmation of an H5 virus at a farm in nearby Miyazaki prefecture.

South Korea reports that it has culled 26 million chickens, including about one-third of the nation’s egg-laying hens, marking the worst HPAI outbreak in Korea since 2003, according to several media reports. Based on the spread of HPAI since late October, an estimated 50 million of Korea’s 165 million chickens on farms could be wiped out, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. 

Officials in China report that more than 55,000 birds in the Xinjiang region have been culled so far, bringing the total number of birds destroyed or killed by H5N6 to more than 170,000. The Chinese Center for Disease Control also is concerned about possible human infections of the H7N9 strain of HPAI, which so far has infected at least seven people and killed two people, according to Reuters.

Dutch authorities reported a confirmed outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in Zoeterwoude, Zuid-Holland, promoting the culling of nearly 30,000 birds at the location and another 30,000 birds destroyed at a nearby farm, according to NLTimes.nl. The two affected facilities are less than a mile away from each other and officials are testing birds at another farm about two miles away from the area to determine whether bird flu has spread to that facility as well.

Finally, officials in Germany — which has reported more than 500 wild birds infected with the H5N8 strain of HPAI in recent weeks — now is culling about 55,000 turkeys, chickens and ducks in the north German state of Lower Saxony, Reuters reported. Authorities also have implemented a 72-hour ban on the sale or import of poultry from the area in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.

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