Avian influenza viruses (AIV) remain prevalent among wild bird populations in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA), leading to significant illness in and death of birds.
Between 2 December 2023 and 15 March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) outbreaks were reported in domestic (227) and wild (414) birds across 26 countries in Europe.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) the period 17-23 March 2024 and includes updates on SARS-CoV-2 variant classification, hepatitis A, pertussis, invasive Group A streptococcal infection, chikungunya, dengue, poliomyelitis, western equine encephalitis and cholera.
A cross-border outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 has been ongoing in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK) for over two years since September 2021.