Currently, outbreaks of bird flu are occurring mainly in coastal regions. "Unusually high viral activity" is threatening seabird populations. The transmission of the current pathogen to humans is possible, but according to experts it is harmless.
According to experts, the bird flu that is still rampant poses a serious threat to seabirds on Germany's coasts. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) reported that thousands of birds died between May and July of this year in outbreaks in colonies on the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts the island of Riems near Greifswald. "Surviving chicks in the nests also starved or succumbed to the infection." Breeding colonies suffered a "slump that threatened their very existence".
According to FLI information, there were outbreaks in local colonies of cormorants, gulls, sandwiches and common terns for the first time during this period. The coasts are particularly affected because the colonies are comparatively large here. "We are observing unusually strong virus activity in Germany for the time of year, which is particularly evident in the area of the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts."
There was a significant drop in the spring. But there is still evidence. They pointed out that the virus continued to circulate in summer. "Events are still dynamic and the numbers change daily," it said. According to information from the middle of the week, 14 federal states were affected. According to this, in 2022 there were almost 1030 detections in wild birds and 36 reported outbreaks in holdings.
A devastating eruption also recently hit uninhabited islands in north-east England, which are considered one of Britain's most important nature reserves. There it was said that there had not been such a threatening situation for the seabird populations for about 100 years. The FLI was initially unable to say whether these were the same subtypes.
The FLI also continues to assess the entry into poultry farms on Germany's coasts as high - but otherwise as low. The pathogen is highly contagious for poultry. The FLI continues to recommend appropriate security measures. In principle, infections in humans are possible, especially in the case of close contact. So far, however, they have remained largely symptom-free in connection with the virus that is currently circulating.
