Over the past year, countries in Europe and North America have reported record-high or near-record-high figures of avian influenza in domestic and wild birds. The strain responsible for the majority of outbreaks in these regions is H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (HPAI). Since October 2022, nearly 3 000 outbreaks of HPAI have been reported across the world, and nearly 80 million birds have been culled over the past year. With winter in the Northern Hemisphere fast approaching, researchers and animal health officers are concerned there will be a further spike in HPAI outbreaks.
Bird flu is not a new phenomenon for poultry producers: outbreaks have been reported across the world since the late 19th century, according to Nature. However, these were largely limited to domestic birds, and culling infected birds was enough to contain the spread of the disease within the poultry production industry.
"But since the early 2000s, researchers have noted a sustained spread reports.
