Abstract:In December 2016，18 white swans died in the scenic area of Holy Lake in Ruicheng county of Shanxi
province. It was confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the H5N8 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
through virus isolation，genome sequencing and analysis. The homology between the strain and the prevalent H5N8
viruses was high. The homology between HA and NA genes was 99.1%~99.6% and 98.7%~99.6%，respectively.
During the same period，the HA gene，which was prevalent in Europe，evolved mainly from viruses prevalented
in South Korea，Bulgaria，Thailand，and Vietnam （H5N8）in 2010—2013. Genome sequence analysis showed
that the prevalent H5N8 virus in 2016 was a new recombinant virus. The complexity of the global H5 subtype avian
influenza epidemic was created by the continuous evolution of the virus，increasing the difficulty of its prevention and
control，and the vaccine needs to be updated accordingly. Suggestions of increasing investment and efforts in vaccine
research and development，improving the waterfowl farming model，and improving the coverage rate and pass rate of
waterfowl were put forward，in order to reduce the risk of infection and detoxification.