Is Europe doing enough to prepare for the potential threat of bird flu to humans?

As bird flu spreads crossed Europe and jumps to much animal species, wellness experts pass that gaps successful surveillance and preparedness could time off nan region susceptible to early threats to quality health.

Avian influenza has been spreading astatine elevated levels worldwide complete nan past 5 years, including successful chaotic and workplace birds successful nan European Union. 

Hungary has reported nan astir outbreaks since past autumn, followed by Germany, nan Netherlands, and poultry elephantine Poland.

But successful caller years, vertebrate flu has besides dispersed to mink, cats, a captive bear, and different mammals, raising nan consequence that nan microorganism will yet scope people.

Tens of millions of birds and different animals person been culled to support that from happening, but gaps successful surveillance systems summation nan likelihood that nan microorganism could move undetected and go harder to control.

Since 2003, astir half of nan astir 1,000 group infected pinch H5N1 vertebrate flu globally person died.

Now, EU wellness officials opportunity nationalist wellness risks stay low, and location is nary grounds of human-to-human transmission.

But preparations are already underway: nan European Commission precocious clinched a woody to unafraid much than 27 cardinal influenza vaccines successful lawsuit of a pandemic.

Monitoring vertebrate flu

Officials are besides eyeing an outbreak among dairy cows successful nan United States – which has dispersed to people, infecting 70 and sidesplitting 1 – arsenic a reminder to show animals beyond birds and mink, which are much prone to infection.

"It's not a clip to really beryllium backmost and relax and say, 'oh well, this is conscionable business arsenic usual,'" Marion Koopmans, who directs nan centre of excellence astatine nan Global Virus Network and leads nan viroscience section astatine Erasmus Medical Centre successful nan Netherlands, told Euronews Health.

"It has really changed compared pinch conscionable a fewer years ago," she added. "It’s not a bully business to have".

EU countries actively show chaotic birds and poultry for avian influenza. When they find infections, they must return steps to stamp retired nan virus, specified arsenic culling birds and imposing workplace restrictions.

Now, pinch nan US cattle outbreak successful mind, nan European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is moving pinch personnel states to boost surveillance successful cows and different mammals, according to Alessandro Broglia, 1 of nan agency’s elder scientists.

"There is simply a benignant of reactivity and enhanced preparedness successful Europe, besides to forestall nan infection successful cattle and different workplace animals," Broglia told Euronews Health.

Vaccination is besides playing a bigger role. In 2023, France began immunising birds, a move it says has helped its poultry manufacture retrieve aft outbreaks ravaged its farms and annihilated tens of millions of birds.

And past summer, Finland became nan first EU state to connection vertebrate flu vaccines to people, doling retired jabs to 10,000 workers who were astatine higher consequence of infection.

Even so, EU audits person identified gaps successful these systems that could beryllium conscionable ample capable for nan microorganism to gaffe done undetected.

Weaknesses successful prevention

Over nan past 2 years, they person recovered delays successful mounting up regularisation zones to forestall nan microorganism from spreading successful Poland; "limited effectiveness" successful Portugal's early informing strategy for poultry infections; shortcomings successful investigations of suspected cases successful Spain; and mediocre consequence assessment, a deficiency of surveillance, and inadequately trained unit successful Hungary that represent "crucial weaknesses" that person not been rectified since nan state was past audited successful 2020.

A Commission spokesperson told Euronews Health that Spain and Portugal person taken steps to hole these issues, but that it is “seeking further commitments” from Hungary and Poland, which suspended poultry exports past period owed to outbreaks.

Alexandre Fediaevsky, acting caput of preparedness and resilience astatine nan World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), said that “in each countries, Europe included, location is still immoderate room for improving biosecurity and early informing systems”.

But location has been immoderate guidance from immoderate farmers and poultry manufacture groups, who fearfulness caller rules and restrictions could frighten their businesses.

"We request to person immoderate strategical speech pinch nan industry," Fediaevsky told Euronews Health, but "it will beryllium a agelong process to really toggle shape nan accumulation systems".

The EU and nan US are not nan only places grappling pinch elevated vertebrate flu risks. Last week, the Commission said poultry and nutrient imports from Brazil had been halted aft nan state confirmed its first vertebrate flu outbreak connected a farm.

For now, vertebrate flu appears to airs a greater consequence to nan EU’s nutrient proviso than to nationalist health. However, Koopmans warned that without stronger measures to curb nan virus’ dispersed among birds, nan bloc could beryllium caught disconnected defender if quality infections statesman to emerge.

"Let's besides not go negligent," she said, "because this is really these viruses yet trigger pandemics".