ETIDIOH - NEW

  Highlights •  Concern over H5N1 bird flu testing and detection in the Netherlands is increasing. •  50 human laboratories in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire , and Curacao were assessed. •  The laboratories detected animal influenza viruses with high performance. •  Few laboratories identified the animal subtype of detected influenza A viruses. •  National reference laboratory capacity to identify the animal subtype is critical. Abstract Background Since 2022, highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza A virus clade 2.3.4.4b has caused global outbreaks among wild birds and poultry , with increasing mammalian and sporadic human infections . This elevates concerns about zoonotic transmission and pandemic risk , highlighting the need for accurate detection and identification of animal influenza A viruses by human clinical diagnostic laboratories (hCDL). Methods To evaluate routine diagnostic performance , an External Quality Assessment (EQA) panel containing inactivate...

{Automatic translation from Dutch to English} Date : January 23, 2026  Regarding : Dairy cow with antibodies against bird flu  Dear Chair , Through this letter, I am informing the House, also on behalf of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, about the situation surrounding a dairy cow with antibodies against bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI).  No evidence has been found of active virus circulation of bird flu among the dairy cows on this farm in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân (province of Friesland).  There are also no signs of bird flu spreading at other dairy farms .  I am currently conducting follow-up investigations and have asked all involved parties to be alert to any potential signs.  Situation :  The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) received a report on December 24, 2025 , about two sick cats .  One of these cats tested positive for bird flu.  The cat in question died on Decem...

  The Hague, December 2 (Xinhua)  Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature, Femke Wilsma, reported on December 1 that the country had confirmed its first death from the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus . In a letter to the House of Representatives that day, Wilsma stated that the Institute of Biological Veterinary Medicine at Wageningen University had recently reported that a kitten at a goat farm tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus .  The kitten was found dead by its owner.  The remaining seven kittens from the same litter also died after being given to other new owners, suggesting that they may have also been infected with the avian influenza virus, but the specific route of infection is still uncertain. The letter stated that, according to the cat owner, the mother cat had brought back a dead wild bird , which was suspected to have carried the avian influenza virus, and the kittens were infected ...

  On 6 October 2025, an outbreak of H5 was confirmed on a breeding poultry farm in Gasselternijveenschemond, a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone have been established. In the 3 km zone there are 6 other poultry premises. The poultry farms in the 3 km zone have been screened (examined, sampled and tested) and results coming in next follow up report. The subtype HPAI H5 is confirmed by the national reference laboratory (NRL). All susceptible animals on the infected premise have been killed. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6856 ____

Highlights •  High seropositivity in dogs to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 virus in the Netherlands during HPAI H5 endemicity in wild birds. •  HPAI H5-seropositivity higher in hunting -training dogs than companion dogs.  •  HPAI H5-seropositivity in hunting-training dogs associated with recent bird contact in/near water. •  High seropositivity in dogs to human H1N1pdm2009 influenza A virus (IAV). •  H1N1pdm2009-seropositivity higher in companion dogs than hunting-training dogs. Abstract Dogs are susceptible to the currently circulating highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 and human H1N1pdm2009 (pandemic H1N1) viruses, yet little is known about the extent to which dogs are exposed to both these viruses. Here we investigated HPAI H5 and human H1N1pdm2009 virus exposure in domestic dogs–including dogs that participated in hunting-training– and investigated lifestyle factors associated with HPAI H5 virus exposure. We screened sera from 538...

Abstract We report highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus infection in 10 Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) found dead throughout January and February 2024 in the Netherlands . Five birds were infected with the H5N5 subtype , notable for markers of adaptation to mammals . Continuous infectious disease surveillance remains important in wild birds. Source: US National Library of Medicine,  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40223286/ ____

Abstract Background and Objectives :  The Netherlands faces zoonotic disease risks due to its dense human and livestock populations . The 2009 H1N1 outbreak highlighted the pandemic potential of influenza virus reassortment. Effective preparedness requires integrating behavioural and epidemiological models . Human behaviour, shaped by personal, social, and institutional factors , is critical in detecting, intervening, and treating diseases. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), a framework was developed integrating knowledge from the TPB to improve early detection and response, using (zoonotic) swine influenza as a case study.  Material and Methods :  Within the framework we defined the desired outcome : timely detection and notification of symptomatic (and hypothetical zoonotic) swine influenza to prevent its spread. Actions, such as symptom recognition and disease reporting, were linked to key drivers extracted from the TPB and disease transmission modelling. Exp...

Abstract H4Nx avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have been isolated from wild birds and poultry and can also cross the species barrier to infect mammals ( pigs and muskrats ). The widespread presence of these viruses in wild birds and poultry and their ability to be transmitted interspecies make them an undeniable hazard to the poultry farming industry. In the present study, we collected fecal and swab samples from wild birds and poultry in Guangdong Province from January 2019 to March 2024, and various subtypes of AIVs were isolated, including 19 strains of H4 subtype AIVs . Further analysis was conducted on the internal genes of the 19 strains . These strains clustered together with high homology to highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), suggesting that H4Nx AIV may be reassorted from HPAIV . Two H4N8 strains are phylogenetically related to the porcine H4N8 AIV. Molecular characterization revealed that all viruses in this study were less pathogenic but had potential mammalian-a...

Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epizootics have caused repeated mass mortality events among wild birds . The effect of the infection is potentially detrimental for a variety of bird species, including the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). The numbers of wintering and breeding Peregrine Falcons in the Netherlands have recently declined . We investigated the changes in population trends in relation to HPAI H5 virus outbreaks. For this purpose, we analyzed variations in annual numbers of wintering and breeding birds, the virology of reported dead birds, and the presence of the HPAI H5 virus in unhatched eggs. We showed that significant mortalities of Peregrine Falcons had occurred in 2016–2017 and 2020–2023 , years of major HPAI H5 virus outbreaks. In particular, the highest rates of bird mortality and HPAI virus infection were reported in 2023 . In this year, over 80% (28/32) of the tested birds were positive for HPAI H5 virus. No HPAI H5 virus was present in the egg...