Jarra Jagne, a veterinarian with over 21-years of experience in poultry disease management and control, says the current spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 in Europe and the Middle East should serve as a reminder for poultry producers in the United States to prepare as never before.
Biography: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/popmed/bios/jagne.cfm
Jagne says: “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 was one of the avian influenza viruses involved in the devastating United States outbreaks of 2015 resulting in the death and culling of more than 48 million poultry. Will the U.S. face another incursion of H5N8 in the Spring season? Only time will tell, but we hope poultry producers are prepared as never before.
“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 is back again, this time showing up in wild birds and poultry flocks in India, Israel, multiple European countries – Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Netherlands and Denmark – and now Iran. In Europe, eight outbreaks were reported in poultry, 48 outbreaks in wild bird die-offs and one in captive birds – ducks in a small zoo in Netherlands. The wild bird species include tufted ducks, mute swans, gulls, grebes and many others.
“The virus has not been known to affect humans.
“The EU has called on its member nations to increase biosecurity and confine free-range domestic flocks.”
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