PARIS: France raised the chance degree of fowl flu to ‘excessive’ from ‘average’ on Tuesday (Dec 5) after the detection of latest instances of the illness, forcing poultry farms to maintain birds indoors to stem the unfold of the extremely contagious virus.
The choice, taken by the agriculture ministry, was revealed within the Official Journal on Tuesday.
Avian influenza, generally generally known as fowl flu, has led to the culling of lots of of tens of millions birds worldwide lately. It often strikes throughout autumn and winter and has been spreading in lots of European international locations prior to now weeks, together with Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
France mentioned final week that it had detected a primary fowl flu outbreak on a farm this season in Brittany, within the northwest of the nation.
The “excessive” threat degree implies that every one poultry must be saved inside on farms and extra safety measures taken to keep away from an expansion of the illness.
Though the fowl flu is innocent in meals, its unfold is a priority for governments and the poultry trade as a result of devastation it might probably trigger to flocks, the potential for commerce restrictions and a threat of human transmission.
To counter the illness, France launched a vaccination marketing campaign in early October, initially restricted to geese, which might simply transmit the virus with out exhibiting signs.
