French Bird Flu Outbreak Total Passes Fifty

FRANCE - The total number of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in France has risen to 53, in six different south western provinces.
calendar icon 22 December 2015
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Twelve outbreaks have been reported in Dordogne, 19 in Landes, one in Haute-Vienne, nine in Gers, ten in the Pyrénées Atlantiques and two in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

The outbreak total has risen considerably from the thirty outbreaks confirmed in previous reports.

Only one new outbreak was found in Dordogne since the previous report, in Lardin Saint Lazare in the restricted area of Montignac, after poultry sent to slaughter were tested.

Six new outbreaks were found in Landes, including one with both H5N2 and H5N9 strains.

Another six outbreaks were found in Gers since the previous report, which were identified over several days through testing poultry sent to slaughter and on-farm tests on duck farms. One of these outbreaks, in Saint Michel, affected a farm of 32,000 chickens and ducks.

In Pyrénées Atlantiques, a further eight outbreaks were reported, and in Hautes-Pyrénées two outbreak locations were found.

Many of the outbreaks occurred on duck or goose farms, as this is an area known for fois gras production. For most of the outbreaks, it is not yet known which specific virus serotype is involved, but the viruses are described more generally as highly pathogenic H5 influenza viruses.

Further Reading

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