Bird Flu Outbreak: 1,000 Birds Culled in Florence, Italy

FLORENCE, Italy – A case of avian influenza has been detected at a poultry farm in Campi Bisenzio, Italy, according to local health authorities. The farm raises birds both for slaughter and for restocking hunting reserves. This detection highlights the ongoing risk of avian influenza outbreaks and the importance of rapid response measures to protect both animal and public health.

Approximately 1,000 birds at the farm were culled within 12 hours of notification to the Public Health Veterinary and Food Safety department of the Tuscan Center health authority. Authorities described the operation as a swift and extensive effort to ensure public health safety.

The notification originated from the national reference center at the Padua Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute, where samples collected from the farm were sent for analysis. The initial alert came after the Perugia health authority identified an outbreak of avian influenza at a farm from which the birds in Campi Bisenzio had originated.

Veterinarians from the local health authority conducted on-site assessments on Friday afternoon. Despite the absence of any clinical signs of illness in the birds, they collected pharyngeal swabs for laboratory testing.

Results from Padua arrived on Saturday at 1:30 PM, confirming the presence of the avian influenza virus in one of the samples. In accordance with current regulations, all birds at the farm were culled on Saturday, March 21. A surveillance zone with a 10-kilometer radius was then established, imposing restrictions on animal movement, along with a more restricted 3-kilometer protection zone.

As a precautionary measure, health assessments of the farm’s workers were initiated in collaboration with the local Public Hygiene Service. The workers are currently under active surveillance while awaiting test results.

“It’s important to emphasize the purely precautionary nature of these measures,” the health authority stated. “Based on available evidence, transmission of avian influenza from birds to humans is an extremely rare event, and no cases of transmission have been recorded in Italy to date. The Public Hygiene Service is maintaining a moderate level of reassurance, accompanied by careful monitoring of the situation and scrupulous application of preventive measures.”