Avian influenza – Chicken flu recognized at a wildbird rescue centre in Worcestershire

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed a case of avian influenza (fowl flu) at a wildbird rescue centre in Worcestershire in the present day.

Wild birds migrating to the UK from mainland Europe in the course of the winter months can carry the illness and this will result in circumstances in poultry and different captive birds.

All birds on website can be humanely culled. A 3km and 10km short-term management zone has additionally been put in place across the contaminated premises to restrict the danger of the illness spreading.

UK Well being Safety Company advises that the danger to public well being from the virus could be very low and the Meals Requirements Company has made clear that fowl flu poses a really low meals security threat for UK customers. The premises doesn’t provide poultry, meat or eggs to the business meals chain.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss stated:

H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed at a wildbird rescue centre in Worcestershire. We’ve got taken swift motion to restrict the unfold of the illness and any birds liable to an infection will now be humanely culled.

UK Well being Safety Company has confirmed that the danger to public well being could be very low and the Meals Requirements Company has stated that fowl flu poses a really low threat to meals security for UK customers.

As we transfer into the upper threat interval over winter fowl keepers ought to pay further consideration to the well being of their birds. Anyone who suspects illness ought to report it to their vet or APHA instantly. One of the best ways to sort out this illness is for poultry keepers to make sure that they’ve robust biosecurity measures in place.

Dr Gavin Dabrera, Marketing consultant Epidemiologist, UK Well being Safety Company, stated:

Avian influenza is primarily a illness of birds and the danger to most people’s well being could be very low. The regional UKHSA Well being Safety Group is working carefully with Defra to carefully monitor the scenario and can be offering well being recommendation to individuals on the website as a precaution.

It’s typically vital to not contact any sick or lifeless birds and to ensure to clean your fingers totally with cleaning soap after contact with any animal.

A Meals Requirements Company spokesperson stated:

On the idea of the present scientific proof, the Meals Customary Company advises that, avian influenzas pose a really low threat to UK customers via the meals chain.

Correctly cooked poultry and poultry merchandise, together with eggs, stay fit for human consumption.

An in depth investigation is in progress to find out the almost definitely supply of this outbreak.

There are some easy measures that every one poultry keepers ought to take to guard their birds in opposition to the specter of avian flu. These apply to individuals working a big business farm, preserving a couple of hens of their again backyard and people rearing recreation birds.

These embody:

• Preserve the world the place birds stay clear and tidy, management rats and mice and frequently clear and disinfect any onerous surfaces
• Preserve chickens and turkeys utterly separate from geese and geese
• Conduct common upkeep checks on their sheds
• Clear moss off the roofs, empty gutters and take away vegetation between sheds the place birds are saved
• Draw up contingency plans for storing bedding and coping with pests
• Place birds’ feed and water in absolutely enclosed areas which might be protected against wild birds, and take away any spilled feed frequently
• Put fencing round outside areas the place birds are allowed and restrict their entry to ponds or areas visited by wild waterfowl
• Clear and disinfect footwear earlier than and after coming into premises the place birds are saved

Poultry keepers and members of the general public ought to report lifeless wild birds to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77 and keepers ought to report suspicion of illness to APHA on 03000 200 301. Keepers ought to familiarise themselves with our avian flu recommendation.

Additional info on the way to assist stop the unfold of the illness may be discovered right here.