As we approach the holiday season, highly pathogenic (high-path) avian flu outbreaks in poultry and other birds are much in the news across North America, Europe and Asia.

In the last week, India has confirmed that the virus affecting waterfowl in Chandigarh is the high-path H5N1 type. While several cases in people in the area are suspected, none has yet been confirmed. Suspicious deaths of wild crows in the state of Haryana are also under investigation.

A new outbreak of avian flu of an H5 subtype has been reported in a village poultry flock in central Viet Nam. This is thought to be the H5N1 variant.

Canada has now reported a total of 11 outbreaks with the high-path H5N2 virus in commercial poultry and one in a backyard flock, all in the same region of the province of British Columbia.

The United States has reported its first outbreak of high-path H5N8 avian flu a backyard poultry flock in Oregon, while the H5N2 virus has been detected in wild ducks in Washington state, close to the border with Canada.

Following a new outbreak of H5N8 high-path avian influenza at a duck farm in Germany in the state of Lower Saxony, the federal agriculture ministry has ordered a veterinary inspection of all ducks and geese before transportation.

In mid-December, there was an outbreak of high-path avian influenza of the H5N8 subtype in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy but there have been no further cases since then.

ThePoultrySite team thanks you for your support this year and sends warmest wishes for the holiday season and 2015.