The level of vigilance has been stepped up in preparation for immediate action in case of avian flu in Malta.

In order to implement effective actions, any suspected high mortality in wild birds and poultry should be notified to the veterinary authority, a statement from the 
Veterinary Regulation Directorate within the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights said this morning.

Several cases of avian flu have been detected in Northern and Central Europe in the past month, both in wild birds and on poultry farms. The epidemic is mainly due to seasonal migratory movements of wild birds.

The virus identified is the HPAI H5N8 virus that had caused several outbreaks in poultry. The EU Reference Laboratory for avian influenza concluded that the virus is still predominantly a bird virus without any specific increased affinity for humans.

Hungary, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Poland and the Netherlands have so far been impacted and have adopted control measures to limit the potential spread of the disease.

The level of awareness has been also increased in countries where the disease was detected only in wild birds, which were mainly found dead at sea shores and lakes in Croatia, Finland, Romania and Switzerland.

"At present Malta is not considered at high risk due to the seasonal migratory routes of wild bird species which are considered as the most likely reservoirs of the virus, but its geographical position is along one of the main European-African migration flyways and specific attention should be maintained to prevent contacts between wild birds and poultry in farms," the directorate said.