Bird Flu In UK Again

the strain of the bird flu virus is the most dangerous one namely the H5N1 type

Many people said that it was inevitable that at some time the UK would be infected with the bird flu disease again and it appears that they have been proven right. The bird flu virus has been located in poultry in a farm on the Suffolk and Norfolk border. This is extremely bad news for the United Kingdom farm industry which has already been set back by other animal illnesses such as foot and mouth and more recently bluetongue disease.

The National Farmers Union made the announcement and said that they would be working with the government agency Defra which is responsible for organising the response to the outbreak. In line with established practice immediately a three km protection zone was set up around the diseased farm and a ten kilometre surveillance zone was also established in the area. It is now forbidden for birds to be moved around within this area and it is especially important that the poultry of the farm do not come into contact with any wild birds flying over it.

It has now been properly confirmed that the particular strain of the bird flu virus is the most dangerous one namely the H5N1 virus and also that it is of the high pathogenic type that originated in Asia. The National Farmers Union were keen to point out that the bird flu virus was a virus restricted to birds and that people shouldn't be concerned about eating chicken or eggs provided they are cooked well.

Nevertheless with people reading about the bird flu cases that have infected humans in Asia and in a few other nations around the globe there is no doubt that they will get nervous and this will definitely have a knock on effect the sales of chicken and eggs and any other poultry.