An alert a few days before Christmas. The level of risk related to avian flu in the French metropolitan territory was raised on Tuesday from “moderate” to “high”, according to texts published in the Official Gazette.
The measure, which provides in particular for the confinement of poultry, was adopted “taking into account the confirmation of several outbreaks in farming” and “the dynamics of infection in migratory corridors and the possibility of spread of the virus through these migratory birds,” according to the decree, which goes into effect immediately.
highest stadium
The epizootic risk to which poultry and other captive birds are exposed in the event of infection of wild birds with a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) is classified into three categories: “negligible”, “moderate” and “high”. “.
This risk was reduced to “negligible” in July and raised to “moderate” at the end of November following the detection of an outbreak of avian flu on a turkey farm in Morbihan, the first case of autumn 2023 in France.
Previously, France had remained at a “high” risk level between November 2022 and April 2023. Bird flu, which is prevalent in Europe, Asia, Africa and Asia, has led to the euthanasia of tens of millions in recent years of poultry in France.
Hoping to finally control the virus, the government has made bird flu vaccination mandatory on farms with more than 250 ducks, excluding breeding ducks, from October 1.
Ducks have been identified as vectors for spreading the virus, as they excrete it into the environment several days before showing symptoms.
Selon le dernier bulletin hebdomadaire (du 28 novembre) de la plateforme française d’épidémiosurveillance en santé animale, 77 foyers de grippe aviaire chez des volailles ont été détectés en Europe depuis le 1er août, principalement en Hongrie et au Royaume-Uni, contre 48 The last week.
In total, 27 countries have detected avian flu on their territory, according to the same source.
“The active downward migratory routes of wild birds in Europe are highly contaminated” and these detections are found “directly upstream of the migratory routes affecting France,” the bulletin states.
Source: BFM TV
