Namibia reports first H5N1 case since 2022 amid Nigeria, South Africa outbreaks

AFRICA – Namibia detected H5N1 in a wild bird for the first time since May 2022, with an infected seabird found near the Atlantic coast in the country’s southernmost region bordering South Africa.

In Nigeria, six new outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in poultry flocks were confirmed between early December and mid-January, according to reports submitted to WOAH.

Three of the outbreaks occurred on commercial farms housing between 3,000 and 6,500 birds, spread across Ogun, Kano, and Katsina states, while the remaining three affected smaller backyard flocks in Kano and Plateau states.

Since the H5N1 strain first appeared in Nigeria in December 2020, 497 poultry flocks have tested positive, with more than 2.53 million birds impacted directly by the virus.

Between January and April 2025, Nigeria recorded 18 new HPAI outbreaks affecting roughly 93,500 poultry, including clusters in Kano, Katsina, Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, and Zamfara.

South Africa sees continued spread

In South Africa, two further H5N1 outbreaks in poultry were reported in early December, affecting farms in the Western Cape and bringing the total number of flocks impacted in the province since June to 12, with over 308,000 birds affected.

Recent testing has also confirmed more than 100 seabirds in South Africa carrying the H5N1 virus, raising concerns about its spread among wild populations.

Reports from a South African wildlife group indicate nine African penguins, a critically endangered species, have died from HPAI, adding to 26 confirmed cases among penguins and over 1,000 deaths in other seabirds since July 2025.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has documented 26 HPAI outbreaks in wild and domestic birds across South Africa since October, highlighting ongoing regional virus activity.

New low-pathogenic threat

The South African Poultry Association has alerted producers to a new potential threat from a low-pathogenic H9N2 avian influenza virus recently detected in Mozambique, which can lower egg production and increase broiler mortality despite causing less severe losses than H5N1.

Authorities in affected countries continue to monitor poultry and wild bird populations for HPAI and H9N2, with ongoing testing and containment measures aimed at limiting further spread of the viruses.

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