As of December 16, 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed 27 outbreaks of H5N8 avian influenza in farms, and 4 cases in wildlife. Almost all of them are located in the South West.
As the Christmas holidays approach, the threat of bird flu is spreading in France. As of December 16, the Ministry of Agriculture is already able to confirm 27 outbreaks of avian influenza strain H5N8 in French farms. Four cases have also been identified in wildlife.
Even if outbreaks have been declared in Pas-de-Calais (1) and Haute-Savoie (2), the southwestern departments are by far the most affected: the 28 other outbreaks are indeed concentrated there. A blow for the breeders, who are facing their second epizootic in the space of a year.
Since the alert from the health authorities in mid-November, the H5N8 avian flu has foiled the security measures deployed in France. First spotted in Pas-de-Calais among wildlife, the virus jumped towards the southwest. The meter set up by the Ministry of Agriculture has continued to panic ever since. In the space of three days, the number of outbreaks doubled.
The outbreaks reported in the French departments. In yellow, only one listed outbreak. In orange, 2 to 4 hotplates. In red, more than 5 outbreaks. The departments in blue are those where a wild outbreak has been identified.
406 households in Europe
Protective measures are systematically deployed when a case is discovered. The whole farm is slaughtered. A protection perimeter extends 3 kilometers around the operation in question. A second perimeter, of surveillance this time, encircles the 10 kilometers which surround the structure. Bird owners also have an obligation to protect their animals by confinement or using a net.
Questioned at the National Assembly, Stéphane Le Foll, Minister of Agriculture, stressed that “the biosecurity measures will be applied with all the necessary security”. Caution is in order: in the rest of Europe, 406 outbreaks have been listed, including 155 in farms and 6 in captive avifauna. Hungary is by far the most affected, with 120 outbreaks. The circulating strain, H5N8, is highly pathogenic to birds. It causes many deaths. Man, on the other hand, is only very rarely infected.
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