PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (169): Europe (UK, Hungary, Finland) H5N1
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AVIAN INFLUENZA (169): EUROPE (UK, HUNGARY, FINLAND) H5N1
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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In this update:
[1] UK
[2] Hungary
[3] Finland
[1] UK
Date: Fri 10 Nov 2023
Source: BBC News [edited] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-67373692
Bird flu has been found in commercial poultry at a site in
Lincolnshire.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said
the H5N1 virus was found at a property in Donnington. It is the 1st
case confirmed in England since 1 Oct [2023].
A 3 km (1.9 miles) protection zone and 10 km (6.2 miles) surveillance
zone was put in place around the property. The restrictions mean that
all movement of birds and eggs in the protection zone must be
monitored.
The UK Health Security Agency advises that bird flu is primarily a
disease of birds, and the risk to the general public’s health is very
low.
Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds that has
been around for a century. It usually flares up in autumn before
fading away in spring and summer. It can spread through entire flocks
of domestic birds within a matter of days, through birds’ droppings
and saliva, or through contaminated feed and water.
More than 350 UK farms have seen infections between 2020 and 2023,
according to Defra.
In Lincolnshire, which is home to many poultry farmers, it was
estimated in excess of a million birds had to be culled in the 2
months following December 2021 after more than a dozen outbreaks were
identified.