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Avian flu: after the discovery of dead seagulls, the Hauts-de-Seine parks under close surveillance

2023-01-18T18:58:52.942Z


The avian influenza virus was detected in five corpses of black-headed gulls. The prefecture establishes a temporary control zone


No more laughter for the seagulls flying over the Hauts-de-Seine.

The bird flu virus also affects the department.

This Wednesday, the prefecture announced, by press release, the establishment of a temporary control zone (ZCT) covering all of Hauts-de-Seine.

At the beginning of January, a black-headed gull was found dead in Sèvres.

The same day, four remains of the same species were collected in the Chanteraines departmental park, straddling Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne.

In a context of extreme vigilance of avian pathologies, analyzes were immediately carried out on the corpses.

On January 12, the autopsies delivered their verdict: the birds were positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

“It persists and remains active mainly in droppings and stagnant water containing contaminated droppings,” warns the prefecture.

This virus is currently very present in Europe and circulates through migratory birds and wildlife.

It is highly contagious and deadly to birds.

At the end of December, it had been detected in Créteil, in Val-de-Marne, and the first security measures had been taken across the region.

Do not approach the ponds!

It is therefore now the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine's turn to issue an order to prevent the appearance and spread of avian influenza.

It establishes a temporary control zone (ZCT) of 20 kilometers around the places of discovery concerned, an area which thus includes all the municipalities of the department.

If the Hauts-de-Seine does not have farms or farmyards, the virus can however threaten educational farms, starting with that of the Chanteraines departmental park.

“We confined the birds of the educational farm as soon as the dead seagulls were discovered, at the beginning of January, before the results of the analyzes, it is indicated to the departmental council.

In the event of the discovery of new corpses, our agents will be equipped with protective clothing and will completely isolate them before they are recovered by the State services.

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Read alsoEurope is experiencing the “most devastating” avian flu in its history, according to health authorities

Inside the temporary control zone, surveillance is reinforced and the poultry and their food are sheltered.

The ZCT is set up for three weeks.

At the end of this period, it can be lifted if no sign of the pathology is detected on the farms and if no case is identified in wildlife.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the public must imperatively avoid frequenting the edges of ponds, ponds and rivers frequented by birds.

Feeding them is obviously prohibited.

Nor touch a dead bird

The risk is very real at Les Chanteraines.

This artificial park of some 85 hectares, laid out at the foot of the towers, is a mecca for bird watching.

Classified as an LPO refuge (the League for the Protection of Birds, which regularly organizes visits there), it is equipped with facilities allowing, in normal times, to observe 80 different species, including many migratory ones.

“Since the virus is present everywhere in Europe, these discoveries are not a surprise, estimates Alain Cléty, delegate of the local Hauts-de-Seine north group of the LPO.

What is even more so is that only dead seagulls were found and no other species.

The public must avoid walking in the droppings and above all not touch a dead bird!

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At Chanteraines, the LPO continues its surveillance missions with park staff.

As a precaution, the tern rafts installed on the Tilliers pond will also be thoroughly cleaned to avoid any transmission.

An operation planned for a long time but became really urgent with the arrival of influenza.

On the other hand, the prefecture wants to be reassuring by specifying that "the consumption of meat, foie gras and eggs - and more generally of any poultry-based food product - does not present any risk for humans".

For all information on avian influenza, it is recommended to consult the website of the Ministry of Agriculture:

https://agriculture.gouv.fr/influenza-aviaire-les-mesures-de-biosecurite-pour-les-operateurs -professionals-and-individuals

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Source: leparis

All news articles on 2023-01-18

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