Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - chronology

All actions taken by the Commission aim to stop the spread of the disease, to eradicate it as soon as possible, to ensure the safe movement, imports and exports of animals and their products and to inform trading partners and other interested parties about the actions taken at Community level.

HPAI epidemic season 2023-2024

The HPAI epidemic season started in September 2022 and continued in 2023. It affected wild birds, poultry or captive birds in 26 EU Member States. Overall, the 2022-2023 epidemic was less severe for poultry than in 2021-2022. However, the number of HPAI outbreaks in wild birds increased compared with the previous epidemic season.. 

In October 2023, there were new introductions of the HPAI virus by migratory wild birds. Common cranes were the most frequently affected species at the beginning of this epidemic.

In March 2024, for the first time in history, the HPAI virus (subtype H5N1) was detected in cows, in dairy cattle farms in USA.  The virus detected in dairy cows in the USA (H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b. genotype B3.13 and D1.1) is not present so far in the EU. 

Since October 2022, HPAI virus (H5N1 subtype) has been detected more frequently in mammalian species than in the past, in particular in wild carnivores, fur farm animals, marine mammals and pets, even if overall these remain rare events.

HPAI in 2022

The 2021-2022 epidemic was the largest observed in the EU so far. The predominantly detected subtype of the HPAI virus was the H5N1 subtype, although other subtypes (like H5N8 and H5N5) were detected in limited areas. .

Several seabird species exhibited widespread and massive mortality from HPAI (H5N1)  at their breeding colonies in 2022, resulting in an unprecedented number of HPAI detected cases in wild birds between June and August

As regards poultry, it proved difficult to rapidly contain the spread of the virus once it entered areas with high concentration of poultry establishments. . However, from the second quarter of 2022 the epidemiological situation started to improve.

HPAI in 2021

The HPAI epidemic season started in October 2020 and continued in 2021. From the second quarter of 2021, the epidemiological situation improved in the majority of EU Member States. However, outbreaks in wild birds continued during the summer months.

HPAI in 2020

During 2020, there were two distinct epidemic seasons of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the EU. The first season started at the end of December 2019, with an outbreak of HPAI (H5N8) in poultry in Poland. 

By March, the disease was confirmed in Poland, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. The H5N8 (2020) subtype of the HPAI virus was responsible for all of these outbreaks.

The second HPAI epidemic season started at the end of October 2020 when the first cases were reported in wild birds in the Netherlands. Again, the first HPAI virus detected was of H5N8 subtype, different from the one that circulated in the first half of the year. A high number of dead and sick wild birds – mostly migratory species – were infected with different subtypes of HPAI until the end of 2020. 

Between October and end of December 2020, the disease was also confirmed in poultry in Croatia, Denmark, France, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

A detailed overview on the situation in EU countries and the adopted measures is given in the Chronology of events.

HPAI in 2019

During 2019, the HPAI H5N6 subtype was confirmed in wild birds and closely related to other viruses detected during 2017/2018 in wild birds. There were few HPAI outbreaks in poultry during the course of the year. The outbreaks were confirmed in Bulgaria in March-April.

HPAI in 2018

In wild birds only, the HPAI H5N6 subtype was confirmed mainly in the first half of 2018 in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Slovak Republic, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Infection persisted at a low level throughout the summer period with a last reported case in mid-September in Denmark.

During the second half of 2018, outbreaks of HPAI of subtype H5N8 continued to be confirmed in poultry in Bulgaria, last in mid-December (see map).

HPAI Epidemic 2016/2017

In October 2016, HPAI (H5N8) was first detected in a wild bird in Hungary. It was then identified in wild birds, poultry farms and/or captive bird holdings in 19 Member States. Member States with a high density of duck and geese holdings were most affected.

By end April 2017 the outbreaks sharply declined, while infection was still detected from July to December 2017 in poultry in Italy and Bulgaria. To a very limited extent, HPAI (H5N6) was detected at the end of 2017 in a poultry holding and in a few captive bird holdings.