A lot of bird flu in Europe, France wants to vaccinate

The vast majority of bird flu outbreaks in France occurred in the area where French meat ducks are kept. Hardest hit is the Vendee region with 115 outbreaks. Bird flu is also prevalent in the regions of Maine et Loire (41 outbreaks) and Deux-Sevres (34). These regions are located around and under Nantes and near the Loire River. In total, France had more than 1,550 outbreaks in 2022. Because the number of outbreaks rose sharply in November, the measures were tightened at the beginning of December. Ducks and turkeys in a zone of 10 to 20 kilometers around outbreaks are culled preventively and no new ducks or turkeys may be set up in a zone of 50 kilometers around the outbreaks. Due to the high number of outbreaks, the previous French minister of agriculture has already championed vaccination and the new minister is taking over. If the outcome of the current trial vaccinations is good, Fresneau aims to start vaccination this autumn. It is clear that vaccination should then be ...