Seventy birds dead in Northern Norway due to avian influenza outbreak

Around 70 birds have been found dead in Northern Norway due to avian influenza. The deceased birds, primarily grey and black-backed gulls, were discovered in the Naavuono area of North Troms. The strain identified is the highly pathogenic H5N5 type of avian flu, which has also been detected in various gull species, white-tailed eagles, and crows in Northern Norway earlier this autumn.

Norwegian veterinary authorities have indicated that the virus can easily spread from seabirds to other scavengers and predatory birds along the coast. Notably, the same virus was found last week in a backyard poultry farm in Frøya, Central Norway, marking the first instance of this particular subtype appearing among domesticated birds in the country.

Recent reports of bird deaths in October and November have been linked to the H5N5 variant. Last year, tens of thousands of birds succumbed to avian flu in Northern Norway, with estimates of at least 20,000–30,000 dead common guillemots collected from the Vesisaaren municipality area at that time, associated with the H5N1 virus variant.

In Finland, the situation regarding avian influenza remains calm, with only one reported case of the H5N1 virus in a wild bird this year. This solitary case was discovered in January 2024. In contrast, the previous year saw widespread outbreaks across Europe, including significant mortality in wild birds during the summer. Avian flu also impacted fur farms, leading to the culling of approximately 485,000 animals from 72 farms. High pathogenic avian influenza was first recorded in wild birds in Finland in the fall of 2016, with annual occurrences reported globally, particularly in Southeast Asia.