NORWAY/FINLAND —The tranquil landscapes of Norway and Finland are currently marred by a harrowing reality – a surge of record-breaking bird flu outbreaks that have left thousands of seagulls and other species lifeless.
This catastrophic situation has not only put wildlife at risk but has also sent shockwaves through the livestock industry and compelled authorities to implement travel restrictions in affected areas.
Avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu, has been making its ominous presence felt across Europe in recent years.
France, in particular, witnessed millions of birds culled during May and June, wreaking havoc on poultry meat and egg supplies.
However, the outbreak has now reached alarming proportions in the Arctic town of Vadso, situated in Norway’s Finnmark county.
With more than 10,000 dead birds collected in the vicinity, the situation has pushed the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to impose a travel ban encompassing three nature reserves.
Ole-Herman Tronerud, the chief veterinary officer at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, expressed concern over the unprecedented scale of the outbreaks, stating, “The outbreaks we are seeing in various places in Finnmark this year are much larger than we have seen in the past in Norway.”
The H5N1 virus strain, responsible for these avian flu outbreaks, has been circulating among poultry and wild birds for years.
While it mainly affected birds, sporadic outbreaks have been reported in other species like cats, mink, and otters worldwide.
Neighboring Finland is also grappling with a heavy toll on wild birds. In an alarming development, the H5N1 strain has been detected in 20 fur farms, a significant increase from just 12 cases earlier that week.
Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health confirmed that the pathogen was circulating particularly among seagulls.
The gravity of the situation has garnered attention from international organizations. Three U.N. agencies recently issued warnings about the escalating avian flu outbreaks worldwide, raising concerns about the potential for the virus to adapt and infect humans more easily.
To tackle this crisis, countries have been urged to strengthen disease surveillance and improve hygiene at poultry farms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that the risk of H5N1 transmission to humans remains low.
Nevertheless, the emergence of infections in mammals has prompted the WHO to closely monitor the situation.
Though globally, fewer than 900 human cases of H5N1 have ever been recorded, there has been a recent surge in cases in the UK since the outbreak’s onset in October 2021.
Additionally, South Korean authorities are on high alert after detecting the H5N1 strain in two cats at a shelter in Seoul, leading to quarantine measures.
This marks the first time since 2016 that avian influenza has been detected in a cat in the country.
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