French authorities raise bird flu alert as cases spread across Europe
France moves its bird flu risk status to high following new cases in neighboring regions. The decision leads to stricter farm protection rules and comes with a new vaccination program for ducks
French officials stepped-up their bird flu alert status — changing it from moderate to high following multiple cases in nearby areas. The new-rules take effect tomorrow requiring extra bio-security steps around farm areas
The European Union sees faster spread of highly-pathogenic avian influenza this season than last year (which affects millions of birds and raises worries about possible human cases). The fast-moving situation needs quick action: enhanced monitoring and better prevention steps are now required
Recent data shows that French Agriculture Ministry recorded 8 farm outbreaks since last summer. The ministry launched its second duck vaccination effort last month after good results from the first program. The timing of this years status change comes earlier than usual; typically such updates happen closer to winter
The UK faces similar issues with their own high-risk status update this week. British farm officials found new cases in Yorkshire and quickly put protection measures in place. Both countries now work on stopping bird-flu spread through strict farm controls and better tracking of wild bird movements
