November 19, 2024

 

UK confirms H5N1 bird flu strain in commercial poultry

 
 


Th UK has confirmed a strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus in commercial poultry at a site near the town of St Ives in south-west England.

 

In response to the discovery, all poultry on the affected premises will be humanely culled. The British government has also established a 3 km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone around the site to prevent further spread of the virus.

 

This marks the first confirmed case of the HPAI H5N1 strain in kept birds this season. The confirmation follows recent detections of HPAI H5N5 in wild birds in both south-west England and other parts of continental Europe.

 

Avian influenza, or bird flu, has killed millions of birds worldwide in recent years. The virus has increasingly been found in mammals, raising concerns about the potential for human-to-human transmission.

 

The UK raised its bird flu threat level to medium in mid-October, after experiencing several bird flu outbreaks over the years. Notably, in 2021, the country faced what was described as its largest bird flu outbreak to date.

 

-      Reuters

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