Fate sealed for approx 30 thousand hens from the Monferrato farm where an outbreak was confirmed on Friday avian flu. The reporting of the death among the hens by the company’s technicians to the veterinary authorities of the ASL Al made it possible to act promptly.
This is underlined by ‘Secolo XIX – Lower Piedmont’. “The required health procedures were immediately activated, with isolation of the outbreak and epidemiological investigations“, assures the Piedmont Region Health Councilor Federico Riboldi, who is directly following the anti-contagion procedures.
“The chickens still present will be subjected to gas anesthesia to avoid further suffering. The total loss is estimated at around 30 thousand animals. The farmers will be paid compensation quickly. The situation is under control and is constantly monitored”adds Riboldi.
The veterinarians of ASL Alessandria work closely with doctors. They explained that this influenza virus can in some cases transmit from birds to humans. Thus, the owners of the farm, the staff and the veterinarians who have come into contact with the animals will also be vaccinated, if not already covered, with the flu vaccine and monitored for 15 days by the public health doctors of the ASL Alessandria. Each step is shared with the Region’s crisis unit, which on Friday defined with the Ministry of Health and the National Reference Center to guarantee the safety of farms and people. The Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta also implements all measures to contain the spread. Unfortunately, the appearance of influenza in poultry is becoming cyclical.
“The trend is part of the cycles already observed, the case is probably linked to the passage of wild birds, often resistant carriers of the virus”: the experts’ first analyzes meet the observations of the park rangers of the Po and Orba protected areas, who in recent years have detected changes in the flows of migratory birds due to climate change.
“The excessive heat – they reiterate – has caused insects to proliferate and with them some species of birds, which instead of continuing their route stop and become sedentary”.
In particular, the African Bee-eater has expanded its range from South to North due to the generally warmer climate, it nests along the Orba, digging tunnels in the ground and feeds on insects. The Black Kite is establishing itself, hunting fish in rivers and not disdaining those that are already dead, it also visits landfills, just like seagulls, which are spreading like pigeons. In light of the continuation of the ASF and the inconveniences suffered by farmers, avian influenza cannot fail to cause concern.
ùThese are just some hypotheses, awaiting further investigations and comparisons on the origin of the virus. The latest cases of avian flu in Piedmont occurred at a distance and at different times, in the provinces of Wedge in 2022 and Turin in 2024. At the same time as this outbreak in Monferrato, three appeared in Veneto, where as in previous cases found in Lombardy the virus appeared inside farms.
