2020–21 H5N8 outbreak

On 4 February 2020, Saudi Arabian government reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 virus on a poultry farm. The outbreak, which occurred in the central Sudair region, killed more than 22,000 birds in a few weeks.[1]

In the summer months, H5N8 was detected in wild birds in western Russia and Kazakhstan, because this included waterbirds that migrate into northern and western Europe, it was considered likely that the virus would be detected there later in the year (as would be confirmed in October–November).[2]

On October 22, the agriculture minister Carola Schouten of the Netherlands confirmed that H5N8 had been found in samples from wild birds in the country.[3] As a countermeasure, it was required that birds in poultry farms were kept indoors and isolated. From late October to mid-November, it had spread to three chicken farms and a duck farm in the country, and the 320,000 birds in the farms had been eradicated to stop the spread.[4] Shortly after the first detection in the Netherlands, it was confirmed in the United Kingdom (October: poultry; November: wild birds and poultry), Germany (October: wild birds; November: wild birds and poultry), Republic of Ireland (October and November: wild birds), Belgium (November: wild birds), Denmark (November: wild birds and poultry), France (November: poultry) and Sweden (November: poultry).[2] These outbreaks resulted in countermeasures that were similar to those already taken in the Netherlands.[5][6]

According to official confirmed report from Ministry of Agriculture Foresty and Fisheries of Japan, multiple dead chickens were found in 39 places poultry farms, 15 of Shikoku Island, 13 in Kyushu Island, five in western Honshu, two places in Chiba Prefecture, each one of Awaji Island, Gifu Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on November 5, 2020 to February 2, 2021. According to local official confirmed report, these cases were highly pathogenic H5N8 type flu.

On November 10, South Korea's agriculture ministry said it had confirmed the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu in samples from wild birds in the central west of the country and issued its bird flu warning.[7]

On November 27, China's agriculture ministry reported that H5N8 had been found in wild swans in Shanxi province, while Norway detected its first case of the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu in wild geese in Sandnes municipality, prompting the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to introduce a regional ban on outdoor poultry.[8][9]

On November 30, South Korea reported an outbreak of pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza at a farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, killing over 19,000 ducks.[10]

The H5N8 avian influenza was reported in two districts of Indian state of Kerala in early January 2021 which killed hundreds of birds in late December 2020. Thousands of birds were culled. Avian influenza outbreaks of unknown subtypes were later also reported in five other states of India.[11][12][13] 160,000 birds in two poultry farms in Barwala, Panchkula and Raipur Rani are to be culled. 437,000 birds have died in this poultry belt between mid-December and 8 January 2021.[14] By 9 January 2021, seven states confirmed the outbreak.[15]

On January 15, authorities in Namibia suspended the importation and transit of poultry from European countries where an outbreak of the Avian influenza subtype H5N8 has been reported.[16]

On January 20, Iraq reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu on a farm in the city of Samsara, which killed 63,700 birds out of the 68,800-strong flock, according to the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The remaining birds were subsequently culled.[17]

According to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishers official confirmed report on January 21, a detection of H5N8 type bird-flu from weaken bodies condition of edible ducks on poultry farm in Yokoshibahikari, near Narita, Chiba Prefecture. A total ten poultry farms were shipped past a week, relative many edible ducks slaughtered by Japan Self-Ground Defence Force. A second case occurred at a poultry farm near Narita on January 24, and many edible ducks were slaughtered, including amount already shipped to many poultry farm in Japan by JSGDF, according to JAFFM official confirmed report.

On February 1, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 in wild Swans at the Winter Palace, Beijing. [18]

On February 2, authorities in Brandenburg, Germany, culled 14,000 turkeys on a farm due to a confirmed outbreak of H5N8 in the Uckermark area.[19]