Bird flu strikes at French farm.THE French government confirmed today that the H5N1 bird flu bird flu: see influenza. bird flu or avian influenza viral respiratory disease, mainly of birds including poultry and waterbirds but also transmissible to humans. virus has struck a turkey farm, in the European Union's first outbreak of the lethal strain in commercial poultry poultry, domesticated fowl kept primarily for meat and eggs; including birds of the order Galliformes, e.g., the chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, pheasant, quail, and peacock; and natatorial (swimming) birds, e.g., the duck and goose. . The confirmation came from the farming ministry, based on lab tests. The turkey farm, in south-east France's Ain region, has been sealed off and the surviving birds slaughtered. The spread of bird flu to commercial stocks in France, which has been working for months to prevent and prepare for an outbreak, served as a sobering sign for other developed countries that consider themselves well protected against the virus. In an indication of the global impact of the French case, Japan yesterday temporarily suspended imports of French poultry, including the delicacy foie gras foie gras (fwä grä) [Fr.,=fat liver], livers of artificially fattened geese. Ducks and chickens are also sometimes used in the making of foie gras. , meat and other internal organs. |
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