An outbreak of bird flu was detected last week in a family farmyard at the gates of the Camargue, which is a “first” in the Gard, the prefecture of this department in the south of France said on Monday. This case of avian influenza (H5N1), a highly contagious viral infectious animal disease, was confirmed on November 4 in Fourques, in the Arles conurbation, on farmyard birds (chickens, ducks, geese), she said in a statement.
“This case is probably linked to wildlife insofar as wild birds (especially Mallard ducks) regularly mingle with domestic poultry in the backyard”, underlines the prefecture. Infected animals have been slaughtered and cleaning and disinfection procedures are underway. This is the first time that an outbreak of avian flu has been detected in farm animals in this department, a communication manager for the prefecture told AFP.
“Shelter the Poultry”
Given the presence of the disease in wildlife on Gard territory (especially in the wetlands of the municipalities at risk in the Rhone corridor and the Camargue), the prefect of Gard called “all owners of birds, whether they be farmers or private individuals, to the greatest vigilance” and in particular to “shelter the poultry” to avoid contamination by wild birds.
About 150 km south-west of Gard, the African reserve of Sigean, in Aude, has been closed since Sunday for a period of at least three weeks after the death of a bird sick with avian flu. Avian flu has particularly affected the livestock sector in France, since between the end of November 2021 and mid-May 2022, 21 million birds were slaughtered, and the virus started to strike again in an exceptional way from the end of July. The risk of transmission of the disease to humans through the consumption of contaminated meat or eggs is considered “negligible”.