The bird flu outbreak in the UK – in 60 seconds
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 17 Nov 2014
Defra are working hard to contain an outbreak of bird flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire
Bird flu found on a duck farm in northern England might be linked to a highly contagious strain of the disease found this weekend at a poultry farm in the central Netherlands, as well as a case early this month in Germany.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed at least one case of the virus at the farm in the Driffield area of East Yorkshire.
But it insisted the risk to public health is "very low", and said it is embarking on a cull of all poultry at the stricken farm.
Defra said the strain was serious for poultry but only a minimal danger to humans and was not the deadly H5N1.
A Defra spokeswoman said: "We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire – the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain.
A 6-mile restriction zone has been placed around the farm in Yorkshire and all 6,000 ducks on the site will be killed.
Britain last saw a case of H5N1 in birds in 2008 and, although there have been reported cases since, none have been the dangerous H5 or H7 strains.
Wendy Barclay, a professor specialising in flu virology at Imperial College in London, noted that while bird flu viruses can be very dangerous for poultry, previous outbreaks of H5 strains in Britain have never infected people.
South Korea culled more than 6 per cent of its poultry in March to stop the disease spreading. China and Japan have also reported cases of H5N8 this year.
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