EFSA Reports Avian Influenza Situation in Europe and Human Cases in Asia

The European Food Safety Authority’s latest overview reported 183 detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) viruses in Europe between 7 June and 5 September 2025, affecting 27 domestic and 156 wild bird cases across 15 countries. Most detections in wild birds involved colony-breeding seabirds, particularly European herring gulls, with fewer cases in waterfowl than in earlier months. EFSA noted a reduced number of poultry establishments affected and no secondary spread during the reporting period. In mammals, H5N5 detections were confirmed in four Arctic foxes in Norway. In the United States, A(H5N1) cases in dairy cattle plateaued, while infections were reported for the first time in muskrat and round-tailed ground squirrel populations. Between 7 June and 8 September 2025, 19 human cases of avian influenza were reported across Bangladesh, Cambodia, China and India, including three fatalities. Twelve of the thirteen A(H5N1) cases involved exposure to poultry. No human-to-human transmission was identified. EFSA assessed infection risk in the EU/EEA as low for the general population and low to moderate for occupationally exposed individuals.