Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) outbreaks are erupted globally throughout 2023, with parts of Europe issuing alerts in December to poultry farms and other key sectors.
The French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty issued an alert Tuesday regarding the “high” risk level posed by HAPI at poultry farms. A slew of spread mitigation measures have been enacted, such as the forced closure or protection by nets of birds kept in groups of 50 or fewer (i.e., farmyards, zoos, etc). Transportation of birds, as well as other bird-related activities have also been put on pause.
The massive outbreak appears to come amid a vaccination campaign by the French government against HAPI, which started in October 2023, the Ministry wrote at the time.
WHO Issues Disease Outbreak Alert Over A Novel Influenza Variant | @DailyCaller https://t.co/ixpwXMI34B
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) August 14, 2023
Bird flu outbreaks have soared globally throughout 2023. On Tuesday, some 250,000 birds in Sonoma County, California, were euthanized across two poultry farms due to a “the worst” outbreak of HAPI officials claim they’ve ever seen, ABC 7 reported. (RELATED: Major Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Minnesota)
People living around outbreak zones have been warned to stay away from birds, even dead ones, as HAPI can spread to humans. There’s really not that much information available on what happens when a human catched HAPI. In some cases, there are mild to no symptoms. Other cases lead to the onset of other influenza-type infections, and require speedy hospitalization to prevent death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.