Location Dordogne - Credit DEFRA
#10,669
The HPAI story out of France just gets curiouser and curiouser with the announcement today by the OIE that a Highly Pathogenic H5N2 virus has been detected in the same region as was a new strain of HPAI H5N1 last week (see DEFRA: France’s HPAI H5N1 Another Mutated LPAI Strain). .
What isn’t at all clear from this report is whether this HPAI H5N2 is related the Eurasian H5N8 virus which visited western Europe last year and produced an H5N2 reassortant in North America, or is another LPAI to HPAI mutation.
We’ll have to await further genetic sequencing to get these answer to this tantalizing question.
This unexpected finding likely explains the somewhat ambiguous description provided on Monday by France’s MOA when they announced two additional outbreaks. We’ve not seen any specifics released yet on the 3rd outbreak. In any event, this is the first occurrence of HPAI H5N2 in France.
*Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
- Unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments
A 3 and 10 km zoning around the outbreak has been established.Control measures
Measures applied
- Movement control inside the country
- Screening
- Disinfection / Disinfestation
- Stamping out
- Official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste
- Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone
- Zoning
- No vaccination
- No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied
- Traceability
- Surveillance outside containment and/or protection zone
