Avian influenza: Evaluation of risk, January 2008
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority made a request to the National Veterinary Institute to evaluate the risk of introduction of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of subtype H5N1(HPAI H5N1) to Norway. This request was made on the background of the recent outbreaks in Poland and Germany as well as the recently implemented preparedness measures of our neighbouring countries, Denmark and Sweden.
The National Veterinary Institute considers the probability that migrating wild birds or legally imported poultry may lead to an introduction of the HPAI H5N1 virus to Norway to be low. It is our opinion, therefore, that there presently is no need to raise the biosecurity levels in Norway in January and February. This situation will change when bird migrations begin in the beginning of March, or in the event of a variation in weather conditions that might compel waterfowl from the Baltic Sea and Central Europe westwards and northwards. An example of this would be conditions with extreme cold, or a freeze-over of the Baltic Sea. In such instances, the situation may change rapidly.
