Bird Flu Outbreak in Yorkshire, England Triggers Mass Poultry Cull
An outbreak of bird flu has led to a mass culling of poultry on a farm in Yorkshire, England. Authorities have set up a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone around the affected farm near Hornsea in East Riding of Yorkshire. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed that all birds on the property will be destroyed.
The H5N5 variant of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected at the farm has prompted DEFRA to raise the risk level for wild birds from “medium” to “high.” The virus is primarily transmitted through birds’ droppings, mucus, and saliva.
DEFRA issued a statement urging all bird keepers to stay alert and implement measures to safeguard their flocks, emphasizing the heightened risk level across Great Britain.
Bird flu has claimed hundreds of millions of bird lives globally over recent years and has started to affect mammals, raising concerns about potential human-to-human transmission. The previous major outbreak in the UK occurred in February and was the country’s largest recorded, involving the H5N1 strain. The current outbreak involves the H5N5 strain.
In July, U.S. researchers reported “strong evidence” that bird flu had been transmitted from mammals to humans for the first time. Analysis pointed to a Texas farm worker who contracted the H5N1 virus from infected dairy cattle. While other human cases have occurred in recent years, with some fatalities, those infections were traced back to direct contact with birds.
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