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Bird Flu Outbreak; 13,500 Animals To Be Killed To Limit The Spread of The Virus
More or less 13,500 birds are set to be ‘humanely disposed’ after confirmation of bird flu was found on a farm in Cheshire.
It was confirmed on Monday that the commercial broiler breeder was infected with the disease. This farm was near Frodsham. These actions from the Government were decided in order to stop the H5N8 strain from spreading to nearby farms.
Over the past few days, an outbreak of avian flu took place at a farm near the town of Deal in Kent. Because of that, 480 ducks and chickens were put to sleep in the efforts of containing the H5N2 strain.
A surveillance zone of 3 km (1.8 miles) protection zone and a 10 km (6.2 miles) in Cheshire was implemented surrounding the contaminated location to prevent the spread of the virus. This was wider compared to what was built on the farm close to Deal.
Photo Credits: Google Images
According to Dr. Gavin Dabrera, a consultant in acute respiratory infections at PHE stated that there were zero confirmed cases of H5N8 in humans. As a result, England also said that public health is at low risk from the virus.
When it comes to food safety, the Food Standards Agency stated that avian influenzas imposes a very low food safety risk for consumers in the UK.
The government also said that poultry products like eggs and others are safe to eat. As long as they are properly and well cooked.
‘Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and all remaining poultry at the farm will be culled.
‘Birdkeepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately, and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.
‘We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it.
- said Christine Middlemiss, Chief veterinary office
However, the Government also warned the public that migrating birds from Europe in the winter may transmit the virus to chickens and other birds in captivity. But they assured the public that they will initiate a thorough investigation as to what is the case of the disease.
Photo Credits: Metro UK
The bird flu threat as what we have remembered was still at ‘low’ in the month of October. As of today, they have raised it to 'medium' as more farms are getting infected. Minor outbreaks were also observed in the UK with different strains of the bird flu virus.
