Paris:
The French farm ministry mentioned on Tuesday that hugely pathogenic H5N8 bird flu had been located on a duck farm in the southwest of the nation, confirming France’s initially farm outbreak of the virus this year.
The outbreak was initially reported on Monday but at the time it was unclear what strain of the virus it was.
Bird flu has been spreading quickly in Europe, placing the poultry business on alert right after prior outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds.
“The ANSES national reference laboratory confirmed today the infection of a farm of 6,000 ducks by the H5N8 virus in the municipality of Benesse-Maremne (Landes region), in which high mortality was observed on Dec. 5,” the ministry mentioned in a statement.
A safety zone was set up about the farm on Dec. 7, implying additional monitoring, a ban on the move of poultry and added sanitary measures, the ministry mentioned, adding that all the ducks on the farm have been culled.
France has currently detected the H5N8 virus on birds sold in 3 pet shops. Investigations located that the wild birds had been sold by the identical particular person in northern France, the agriculture ministry mentioned final week.
In addition, 3 wild swans and 1 wild goose located dead final week have also been confirmed as carrying the H5N8 virus, the ministry mentioned.
The spread of the virus in Europe prompted France to raise its bird flu safety alert to “high” in early November, which calls for maintaining birds indoors or installing protective netting to avert speak to with wild birds that spread the illness.
The ministry stressed that bird flu can not be passed by means of the consuming of poultry goods.
The H5N8 virus has by no means been detected in humans.
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