23 bird flu outbreaks reported in France
France has declared a state of high alert on avian flu since November 5 and now the number of outbreaks has reached 23. Besides that, the virus is advancing to the Spanish border causing panic among poultry farmers in the neighboring country. 29 countries in Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and Italy, among others, are currently affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), with almost 400 outbreaks on farms and 700 cases in wildlife.
In France, some of the cases have been reported on a duck farm in the Gers, a region in the southwestern part of the country. During spring, the region was impacted by another wave of bird flu that generated important losses for duck breeders in the area.
Biosecurity measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus are as follow:
- The preventive slaughter of animals within a perimeter defined by order of the prefecture.
- Disinfection of places.
- The prohibition of the movements of poultry in the protection and surveillance zones defined around the outbreaks.
- And, if cases are confirmed in wildlife, temporary control zones (ZCT) are established.
In Spain, the Autonomous Region of Valencia has strengthen measures to protect poultry farms in the region. A new set of rules, including the prohibition of poultry rearing in the open air, giving water to poultry from water tanks that wild birds can access, and the breeding of ducks and geese with other species of poultry, is in force until February.
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