Bird flu outbreak found in Dordogne

THE FIRST case of bird flu in France for nearly a decade has been reported in the Dordogne.

The H5N1 strain of the disease was discovered in chickens on a private property in Biras, 15km north of Périgueux, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed. Two nearby farms - a duck farm in Saint-Paul-la-Roche and a geese-breeding business in Domme - are also under surveillance.

Authorities immediately initiated an emergency response plan, setting up protection and surveillance zones at 3km and 10km from the source of the outbreak.

The Ministry of Agriculture said that samples had been taken from the farms, but it appears the disease so far has not spread.

"The sequencing of the strain is ongoing but it seems that it is a strain already detected in Europe and which until now has presented a low pathogenic profile," the ministry said in a statement.

Health officials, meanwhile, said that only people who had close and prolonged contact with sick animals were at risk of contamination.

Christophe Bay, the prefect of Dordogne, however urged pet owners living in the surveillance zone to ensure their animals remain on their properties “to prevent any further spread” of the infection.

The last reported case of H5N1 in France was found in wild swans in Moselle in 2007, data from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) showed. The outbreak had started a year earlier and 64 farms, mainly in the Ain, were affected. No cases of the disease among humans were reported.

It is the first case in an EU country since outbreaks in Bulgaria and Romania were reported in March.

Photo: Rhian / image for illustration only