France has confirmed twice as many outbreaks on poultry farms to date during the 2021-2022 season as it did during the previous season, and the geographical spread is wider.
So far for the 2021-2022 season, total confirmed HPAI outbreaks on French farms have reached 983. This is according to the nation’s agriculture ministry (as on March 23). Compared to eight days previously, the figure has risen by 191.
Furthermore, infections have now spread to three more departments, and to an eighth region — Brittany (Bretagne) in the northwest of the country. With infections confirmed in that region’s departments of Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine as well as Lot in Occitania, poultry farms have been hit by the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype in 17 departments since November of last year.
Continuing to be hard hit by the disease are premises with poultry in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. With 113 more confirmed outbreaks over the previous eight days, total for the department of Vendée has reached 451. Nearby departments of Loire atlantique and Maine-et-Loire have now recorded 70 and 63 confirmed outbreaks, respectively.
France struggles to contain avian flu outbreaks | WATTPoultry (wattagnet.com)