Denmark, Japan, Hungary and Finland declare themselves free from bird flu
The OIE has received documentation from Denmark, Japan, Hungary and Finland saying that the countries have recovered from outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza that ravaged poultry flocks in 2020 and early 2021.
1 September 2021
3 minute read
By: The four countries submitted self-declaration paperwork to the OIE, saying that they are free from and have recovered from highly pathogenic bird flu. The disease roiled poultry flocks and wild birds through the autumn of 2020 and winter of 2021 and resulted in massive culls of broilers and egg layers in those countries.
The self-declaration process involves countries submitting evidence that the disease is not present within their borders and outlines control efforts, risk mitigation measures and awareness campaigns to preserve a disease-free status. Countries must also stipulate import and export protocols to prevent the re-introduction of the disease. They must also outline the disease surveillance procedures they have enacted to aid early detection efforts.
Though the OIE says that self-declarations do not reflect the official opinion of the organization, they are an important step towards normalizing biosecurity and trade protocols in countries combatting an animal disease.
The individual self-declarations can be accessed below:
