Bird Flu Cases Fall in Europe, but Wetlands Remain Under Watch

Highly pathogenic avian influenza lost intensity across Europe during spring 2026, and detections are expected to remain low through the summer. The latest update from the European Food Safety Authority, prepared with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Union reference laboratory, points to a seasonal slowdown rather than an end to the health alert.

According to EFSA, between February 28 and June 4, 2026, EU Member States reported 186 outbreaks in poultry and captive birds, along with 763 detections in wild birds. The agency says outbreaks in domestic birds remain at levels similar to the same period last year, but warns that detections in wild birds were at least three times higher.

A seasonal decline does not remove the risk

The main message from the report is one of seasonal relief, not closure. EFSA highlights that virus circulation in waterbirds has been very high, a finding of direct importance for veterinary authorities, wetland managers, poultry producers and people working in or around areas regularly used by wild birds.

In this context, surveillance of dead or sick birds, rapid reporting of suspicious findings and strict biosecurity remain essential tools. In its technical information on avian influenza, EFSA notes that the disease mainly affects poultry and wild waterbirds, and that highly pathogenic viruses can cause significant mortality and spread quickly on poultry farms.

Wildlife and mammals remain under monitoring

The report also describes the number of detections in mammals as low in relation to the high level of virus circulation recorded during the winter. Within the European Union, red foxes appear as the most affected mammals in the data cited by the agency.

EFSA and the ECDC continue to assess the risk to the general public as low. However, the agencies stress the need to protect and monitor people exposed to potentially infected animals or contaminated environments, particularly during handling, collection, health-control operations or work in wildlife rehabilitation centres.

First H9N2 G5.5 detections in Hungary

The European update also includes a new development: Hungary reported cases of low pathogenic avian influenza H9N2 on seven poultry farms. Although H9N2 has previously been detected in the European Union, EFSA says this is the first detection of the H9N2 G5.5 clade, which has previously been associated with occasional human cases in the Middle East and West Africa.

EFSA and the ECDC recommend that Member States continue to monitor the situation closely. For the hunting and wildlife management sector, the central point is clear: the summer decline should not be read as the disappearance of the problem. Europe’s bird flu front may be cooling, but surveillance in wild birds, wetlands and contact zones with domestic poultry remains necessary.