France reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu among red foxes northeast of Paris, the Word Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Tuesday, as a spread of the virus to mammals is raising concern globally.

After three foxes were found dead in a nature reserve near where gulls had died, one of the foxes was collected and tested, it said in a report, citing French authorities.

The strain detected was H5N1, like the one that has been spreading around the world in the past year, killing more than 200 million birds.

The World Health Organization last month described the bird flu situation as "worrying" due to the recent rise in cases in birds and mammals and that it was reviewing its global risk assessment in light of recent developments including cases of human transmission in Cambodia.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has been spreading around the world in the past year, killing more than 200 million birds, sending egg prices rocketing and raising concern among governments about human transmission.

The virus infected a cat in France in late December. It has also been detected in minks in Spain, foxes and otters in Britain, sea lions in Peru and grizzly bears in the United States.

(Reuters)

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