The virus is confirmed as the Asian lineage (clade 2.3.4.4) which is the clade of H5 HPAI viruses which has been detected in multiple wild bird and poultry cases across Asia, Africa and Europe since 2014. No human cases have been associated with infection with this virus.
The latest outbreak of H5N2 HPAI is overlapped by three migration flyways – the Central Asian, the West Asian and the East Atlantic and it is this flyway which also brings wild migratory waterfowl to the UK.
As we are approaching the autumn migration season, the risk of infection to poultry in the UK will start to increase. Therefore we strongly recommend that all poultry keepers (regardless of the number of birds per flock) familiarise themselves with government guidance on good biosecurity and how to report suspicion of disease appropriately.
A short Preliminary Outbreak Assessment on the detection of H5N2 HPAI in Russia is available on the Defra website and can be accessed here.
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