Farmers keeping birds in the UK now must shut all their birds indoors until further notice due to the increase of avian flu cases. This is in addition to the strict biosecurity measures introduced by the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) in October 2022. These measures come in as the wild bird risk in Great Britain has been raised from high to very high.
The government is advising bird keepers to watch them closely for any signs of the flu and prevent any possible cross contamination. The government advice says that it is possible to prevent the spread of avian flu by taking steps to reduce the physical contact and movement between equipment, people, vehicles and birds whilst disinfecting everything.
Mike Topham, a farmer from Cirencester says that all his birds “need to be kept indoors” and while “It’s not as bad in this area at the moment” he is worried about how “The waterfowl will affect the other birds”
Wild birds are also a point of concern for the government as they are encouraging people to contact the Defra helpline if they see; One or more dead bird of prey, 3 or more dead wild waterfowl or 5 or more dead bird of other species.
While bird to human transmission from contact with infected animals is common, human to human transmission is very rare with the UK Health and Security Agency stating that the public health risk of bird flu for humans is “very low”. While there are no reported cases within Gloucestershire itself, there are surveillance zones in Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Bath monitoring for the disease.
eggscelent story 😀