the French authorities remain attentive to the evolution of avian flu in the world

On Friday May 3, France lowered its level of vigilance against avian flu. It goes from “moderate” has “negligible” throughout the country, decision of the Ministry of Agriculture given the absence of new contaminations. But at the same time, the authorities say they are very “attentive” to the evolution of the virus internationally, particularly in the United States.

No new outbreaks detected on French farms since mid-January. Animals can now go out without restrictions. Marie-Pierre Pé, from the Interprofessional Committee of Foie Gras Palmipeds, welcomes the effectiveness of vaccination: 31 million ducks vaccinated since the fall. “Thanks to the vaccination which allowed us to get through this winter. The animals come and go outside. We are really resolutely optimistic now for the future!”

The emergence of a strain adapted to cattle

But the authorities are now looking towards the United States and the herds of contaminated cows. A justified concern, according to Jean-Luc Guérin of the national veterinary school of Toulouse and laboratory director at INRAE: “Clearly, the emergence of a strain which is adapted to cattle. We do not yet know exactly what explains this adaptation. It could happen in France, but there are still trade restriction measures which are The international veterinary services know how to manage them.

However, mutations remain unpredictable. The World Health Organization is even concerned about its spread to humans, hence the importance of monitoring the virus: “What to watch out for are mixtures of viruses of avian origin and viruses more adapted to humans. And see if we haven’t seen the emergence of slightly more adapted strains. This is not the case today.” At this point, animals have already infected humans, but bird flu has never spread from human to human.