Disease

Turkey - Foot and Mouth Disease

There have been 217 cases in a new foot-and-mouth disease outbreak since Sept. 29, Faruk Çelik, minister for food, agriculture and livestock said on Dec. 16.

Speaking at a press conference, Çelik said 117 of these outbreaks are under control while 100 others are still active.

An area of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) around the affected area has been quarantined, with livestock barred from both leaving and entering the area.

France reports new bird flu strain

France has detected the first cases of low pathogenic H5N3 bird flu and found more cases of highly infectious strains in an outbreak of the disease in the southwest of the country.

Three cases of H5N3 bird flu were found at three different farms in the southwest, the French agriculture ministry said in a report posted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Wednesday.

"There is no risk for human health and no impact on our management of the crisis," a ministry official said.

France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, has been facing cases of bird flu since late last month involving three highly pathogenic strains - H5N1, H5N2 and H5N9.