The H5N8 type of the disease has been spreading through Europe, the Middle East and India over the past few weeks.

In Romania, a mute swan was confirmed to have the disease in Constanta region, near the Black Sea. Officials have imposed two areas of veterinary sanitary restrictions around the area, a 3-km protection area and a 10-km monitoring area, neither of which include commercial poultry farms.

Romania has also tightened controls of shipments of live birds and eggs from European Union countries where recent bird flu outbreaks have been discovered. "So far, based on our information, with the exception of the mentioned case, there is no suspicion that bird flu has appeared in domestic or wild birds on Romanian territory," the country's veterinary and food safety agency (ANSVSA) said in a statement.

In Ukraine, a village experienced an outbreak in the southern Kherson region, also near the Black Sea. The first clinical signs of the disease appeared about two weeks ago in a backyard holding in the village Novooleksandrivka. After two weeks the veterinary service was informed on the increase of the mortality of birds in the village. Samples were taken from the dead birds and a positive result was found for highly pathogenic avian influenza.

There are approximately 2500 birds in the outbreak zone, and a stamping-out process is ongoing.

In Egypt, two common coots found dead during routine epidemiological surveillance activity. The outbreak occurred in Dumyat region, bordering the Mediterranean.

None of these countries have yet reported outbreaks in commercial farms, but click here to read our previous report showing the latest confirmed outbreaks on farms.

Germany has also reported another outbreak this week, affecting backyard hens, geese and ducks in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region. Over 100 birds died and a further 205 were destroyed.

Top image: © Copyright Trevor Rickard and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.