PARIS: An unusually early outbreak of bird flu cases affecting high numbers of wild birds and poultry farms across Europe and North America is raising concerns of a repeat of previous crises that led to mass culling and food price spikes.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of farmed birds in the past few years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices. Human infections remain rare.
While outbreaks typically spike in the northern hemisphere autumn as migratory birds fly south, they appeared earlier and in greater numbers in Europe and the US, affecting both wild birds and poultry.
MORE OUTBREAKS THAN PREVIOUS SEASONS
In the US, 107 outbreaks were reported by November 18, nearly four times last year’s total. Minnesota, the country’s largest turkey producing state, confirmed its first case two months earlier than in 2022.
