First case of bird flu strain reported in the UK: Protection zone set up around commercial poultry firm in attempt to contain outbreak
A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Cornwall.
A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Cornwall.
The government said all poultry on the infected site, near Rosudgeon near St Ives, will be humanely culled, after a strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus was detected.
And a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone has been put in place around the premises, the government confirmed in a statement.
It was the first confirmation of the HPAI H5N1 strain in kept birds this season following recent detections of HPAI H5N5 in wild birds in south west England.
Bird flu or avian influenza, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in recent years, has increasingly spread to mammals, raising concerns it may lead to human-to-human transmission.
The virus has been around for a century, with outbreaks tending to occur in Autumn and fading out by spring and summertime.
Britain, which increased the threat level to medium in mid-October, has experienced several bird flu outbreaks over the years, including one in 2021 that was then described as the largest ever in the country.
There are many different strains of bird flu virus, most of which do not infect humans.
bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Cornwall (stock)
Bird flu or avian influenza, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in recent years, has increasingly spread to mammals, raising concerns it may lead to human-to-human transmission (stock)
However, there are 4 strains that have caused concern in recent years: H5N1 (since 1997) H7N9 (since 2013) H5N6 (since 2014) H5N8 (since 2016).
It comes as the H5N5 strain was detected on a farm in East Riding, in Yorkshire, earlier this month.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said a 3km (1.86 miles) protection zone and 10km (6.21 miles) surveillance zone has been put in place around the site and all poultry on the premises had been humanely culled.
Bird keepers have been urged to remain vigilant and to protect their stock.
Bird flu is spread by close contact with an effected bird, which includes touching or petting an infected bird, touching droppings or bedding, or killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking.
However, bird flu cannot be caught through eating fully cooked poultry or eggs, even in areas with an outbreak of bird flu.
It comes as a healthy teenager is in critical condition after catching bird flu in Canada.
Bird flu is spread by close contact with an effected bird, which includes touching or petting an infected bird, touching droppings or bedding, or killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking (stock)
Health officials are still identifying the strain, but the patient is assumed to have H5N1, the virus that has infected dozens of Americans this year.
Almost all of the US cases were farm workers with direct contact with infected cattle or birds, but the case in Canada is different.
The teen had not visited farms but had been exposed to dogs, cats and reptiles, according to provincial health officer Bonnie Henry.
That is absolutely an ongoing investigation, said Henry.
The patient, who has not been identified, is currently being treated in a childrens hospital in British Columbia.
Henry said: This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions.
It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness and the deterioration that I mentioned was quite rapid.
The teen who is Canadas first bird flu victim in the latest outbreak - began suffering a fever, cough and pink eye on November 2.
They were admitted to hospital on November 8, where their condition deteriorated further.
The patient is now suffering from severe lung damage making it hard to get oxygen around the body.
The World Health Organization says H5N1s risk to humans is low because there is no evidence it can spread from one person to another.
But disease experts have warned that as the virus jumps between species, the chance of evolving increases, which could lead to a pandemic.
