•Poultry industry facing several challenges from viral and bacterial infections. With special focus on Avian influenza, it is a highly contagious disease affecting wild birds and poultry with occasional infections in human. The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has spread rapidly through ME Region in 2006, with large epizootics reported in Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, occupied Palestine territories, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Djibouti and Sudan. Transmission of H5N1 from infected birds to humans has been confirmed in Iraq, Egypt, Djibouti and Pakistan. AIV H9N2 is enzootic in poultry in the ME and North Africa, While reports are adequate for Egypt, Iran, Israel and Jordan, little is known about the epidemiology of the disease and genetic features of H9N2 in the other countries.
•Egypt has been the most affected country in ME Region where AI announced 17 February 2006 (H5N1). In February 2010, 113 H5 HPAI outbreaks were observed in poultry (chickens, ducks and turkeys) from 17 governorates. Of these, (82%) were reported from the household poultry sector. 36 million birds have been culled with costs estimated at between 2 to 3 million USD.

•Because influenza viruses are constantly changing, CDC performs ongoing analyses of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses to identify changes that might allow for spread more easily to and between people, cause serious illness in people, reduce susceptibility to antivirals, affect the sensitivity of diagnostic assays, or reduce neutralization of the virus by vaccine induced antibodies. To date, few changes in HPAI A(H5N1) viruses of public health concern have been identified and such changes have differed between various HPAI A(H5N1) viruses circulating in wild birds and poultry worldwide or that have sporadically infected humans. No changes in current clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds, poultry, mammals, or human cases have been identified that would suggest increased transmissibility to humans.

•The recent updates showed that HPAI subtype H5N1 has been detected in dairy cows with one recent human case of dairy worker in USA; A commercial poultry flock of around 57,500 birds tested positive for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the city of Tomisato, Japan; The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of HPAI subtype H5N1 in Canada; presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype was detected at two more farms in Bulgaria; the H7N6 serotype was detected for the first time among South African poultry, and it has since affected 116 of the nation’s farms.

Additionally, Turkey recently reported an H5N1 outbreak, the first in over a year, which occurred in the province of Konya, killing 211 birds in a flock of 790,000. This case is part of a seasonal rise in bird flu cases across Europe and the Middle East. Similarly, several European countries, including France, Germany, and Great Britain, have raised their alert levels for avian influenza due to a rise in cases among poultry and wild birds. Health agencies in these countries are actively responding to the evolving situation with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections.