UK on "high alert" after Scottish bird flu outbreak

The UK government has confirmed an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been declared across Great Britain effective from 5pm today (Wednesday) as the nation is placed on "high alert" over the risk of bird flu in wild birds.

The UK Government said: "The decision to implement the AIPZ  was made due to evidence from Europe and on avian influenza findings in wild birds in Great Britain. It follows a risk assessment containing the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice.

The Scottish Government has said that in order to limit the further spread of disease, "appropriate restrictions" have been imposed on the premises.

The remaining birds at the premises will be humanely culled and three kilometre and 10 kilometre Temporary Control Zones have been set up around the infected premises to limit the risk of the disease.

Within these zones, a range of different controls are now in place. These include restrictions on the movement of poultry, carcasses, eggs, used poultry litter and manure.

The Scottish Government say that the public health advice is that the risk to human health from the virus is "very low".

It said that food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a "very low food safety risk" for UK consumers, and that cooked poultry products including eggs are safe to eat.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) human cases of H5N1 avian influenza" occur occasionally, but it is difficult to transmit the infection from person to person" . When people do become infected, the mortality rate is about 60%.

Almost all cases of H5N1 infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments.

Vets have previously said the UK has robust biosecurity measures and monitoring in place to prevent the disease spreading in this country and "the risk of transmission of avian influenza viruses to the general public in the UK remains very low".

But the economic cost can be significant.

Health experts say people should avoid touching sick or dead birds, while chicken and eggs are safe to eat if cooked thoroughly, as that kills the virus.

The AIPZ means all bird keepers in Great Britain, whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock, are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions.

Keepers with more than 500 birds will need to restrict access for non-essential people on their sites, workers will need to change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures and site vehicles will need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

In a joint statement the Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland and Wales said: “Following a number of detections of avian influenza in wild birds across Great Britain we have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across the whole of Great Britain. This means that all bird keepers must take action now to prevent the disease spreading to poultry and other domestic birds

“Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, you are now legally required to introduce higher biosecurity standards on your farm or small holding. It is in your interests to do so in order to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease

“The UK health agencies have confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and UK food standards agencies advise that bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.”

The AIPZ alert now in force across Great Britain, does not include a requirement to house birds, the UK Government said. However it said this is being kept under constant review.

"With the increased risk of avian influenza during the winter, the need to include a mandatory housing requirement in the AIPZ may happen," it said. "Further disease control measures will be based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice."

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “With the recent disease confirmations in wild and captive birds in the UK, it is not unexpected for avian influenza to be found in birds here. Temporary Control Zones have been put in place around the infected premises and we ask that the public remain vigilant and report any findings of dead wild birds.”

Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: “We are conducting further tests to establish the pathogenicity of avian influenza H5N1 in a flock of birds in the Angus constituency.

“We have already made clear that all bird keepers – whether major businesses or small keepers with just a few birds – must ensure that their biosecurity is up to scratch to protect their birds from disease. Keepers who are concerned about the health or welfare of their flock should seek veterinary advice immediately. Private vets, or the local Animal and Plant Health Agency office, will also be able to provide practical advice on keeping birds safe from infection.

“If a single dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks), a single dead bird of prey, or five or more dead wild birds of any other species (including gulls) are found at the same place at the same time, this should be reported to Defra’s [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]national helpline. Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds.”

In November,  the risk from bird flu had been raised to 'high' in Britain following confirmed cases.

The chief vets from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland had then urged bird keepers to maintain and strengthen their farm biosecurity measures in order to prevent further outbreaks of avian influenza in the UK.

At that point the risk level of avian influenza incursion in wild birds in Great Britain  was raised following two unrelated confirmed cases in England and increasing reports of the disease affecting flocks in mainland Europe.

In February, last year farmers in Scotland were urged to boost security after a case of bird flu was confirmed.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland said the virus, thought to have been contracted from wild birds, was found in Scotland.

The global spread of H5N1 in birds was  considered a significant pandemic threat in 2006.

As of November,  according to the World Health Organisation there had been 455 worldwide deaths due to H5N1.  In a year that had risen to  863 cases.

Of these 863 cases, 456 were fatal (CFR of 53%). The last case was reported from India in July 2021.

While prior H5N1 strains had been known, they were significantly different from the 2006 strain on a genetic level, making the global spread of the strain unprecedented. 

Concerns famously surfaced in the UK when scientists and vets were conducting urgent tests on a dead swan infected with bird flu that was discovered in Scotland.

The then Scottish Executive confirmed that the bird, found in a village in Fife yesterday afternoon, was carrying the "highly pathogenic H5 avian flu" virus.

Authorities immediately quarantined the area around the Fife village of Cellardyke.

 A protection zone with a minimum radius of 1.8 miles (3 km) was set up, as well as a surveillance zone of six miles. In London, the Cabinet Office activated its emergency committee, Cobra.

Birdkeepers in the zone were instructed to isolate their flocks from wild birds by taking them indoors wherever possible, and measures to restrict the movement of poultry, eggs, and poultry products from these zones were put into effect.

The UK was previously declared free of avian flu in September 2017 and has remained free of highly pathogenic avian influenza since then.

On October 4, one new case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus was reported from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China to WHO,

The case was a 66-year-old male, from Yongzhou City, Hunan Province with onset of illness on 26 September 2021.

He was hospitalised on September 27  and reported to be in severe condition and undergoing treatment.

The man had exposure to domestic poultry prior to onset of illness. No family members have developed symptoms at time of reporting.