France has escalated its alert status for avian influenza from “moderate’’ to “high’’, nationwide.

The alert came after confirming the contamination of a turkey farm by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on November 27.

The French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty declared the alert on Tuesday.

According to the official journal of the French government, the decision was prompted by the widespread infection among migratory avifauna and poultry farms in neighbouring countries and metropolitan France.

According to the ministry, the transition to a “high’’ alert level automatically triggers a series of preventive measures throughout France.

These measures primarily include the confinement of birds and poultry indoors.

In regions deemed high-risk for transmission, the ministry has mandated farms to conduct HPAI screening when moving web-footed birds between locations.

In a proactive stance, France initiated a nationwide vaccination campaign against HPAI in October 2023.

As of November 5, the agriculture ministry reported that approximately 4.8 million ducks had received their first vaccine doses. 

(Xinhua/NAN)