Updates on bird flu

Pictured: Security guards keep visitors away from what is thought to be the spot. Eight 'highly infectious' bird flu cases have been recorded in wild birds and poultry populations across the UK so far.

On Friday, avian flu was confirmed in rearing turkeys at a premises in Norfolk. All 10, birds at the turkey fattening site in North Allerton, North Yorkshire will be humanely culled just weeks before Christmas to limit the spread of the disease.

Outbreaks of H5N8, which has been in evidence among wild bird populations in Europe, have been confirmed in geese and swans in Gloucestershire, Devon and Dorset. Public health officials said the risk to the public was 'very low,'. Almost ducks and chickens are being culled at a farm in Deal, Kent after a suspected outbreak of H5N2 avian influenza. Officials placed a 1km restricted zone around the farm. Almost half a million birds have been infected with bird flu after outbreaks at four Victorian farms.

Free range egg farms in Lethbridge and Bairnsdale in Victoria have recorded cases of avian influenza in the past two weeks. Birds on the farm near Lethbridge, about km southwest of Melbourne, have tested positive for H7N7 avian influenza virus. Birds on the farm near Lethbridge have tested positive for H7N7 avian influenza virus, commonly known as the bird flu. Griffith University vaccines expert Michael Good has revealed the Australia summit held in Canberra 12 years ago hardly discussed the threat of coronavirus despite a recent SARS outbreak.

The Philippines has detected a bird flu outbreak after tests showed a highly infectious H5N6 subtype of the virus in a quail farm. More than 12, birds were culled to stop infection spreading. Two strains of 'highly pathogenic' bird flu have broken out in two Chinese provinces near Hubei - the epicentre of the novel coronavirus - since the beginning of the month.

Farmers were urged to remain alert for signs of bird flu following the confirmed case in Suffolk, but Christmas turkey supplies are unaffected, industry leaders said. A number of birds at a commercial farm in Suffolk were found to have the H5 strain of avian flu, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday.

Professor Steven Salzberg, from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, said it is a 'terrible idea' for scientists to be allowed to keep working on mutating deadly bird flu. Experts from the University of Hong Kong hope the chemical - named AM - will day be the go-to treatment for viruses - even those that have not evolved yet. Health authorities in China have ignored a request from the UK Government for a sample of the H7N9 bird flu virus which has already killed over people, and experts warn it could cause a pandemic.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said it was 'possible' that H7N9, which is currently circulating poultry in China 'could be the cause of the next pandemic'. The US Department of Agriculture has said the first commercial case of bird flu in the country this year has been confirmed at the unnamed turkey farm in southwestern Missouri. Also known as avian influenza, bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by a variant of the standard influenza A virus.

China has confirmed the first human case of H7N4 bird flu. The country's health authority said the strain was identified in a year-old woman from the eastern China's Jiangsu Province. A further 20 birds are being examined by officials and are expected to die, while the Queen is being kept updated as experts strive to pinpoint exactly what killed them. Popular tourist spot Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset is among those hit by bird flu after 17 birds were found with the disease. It is a different strain to one which infected people in China.

Bird flu has been detected in 17 wild birds in Dorset, experts from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have confirmed today. Britain faces a shortage of turkeys and higher prices following a fall of 15 per cent in the number being reared.

Scientists have identified three mutations that, if they occurred at the same time in nature, could turn a strain of bird flu now circulating in China into a potential pandemic virus. A third case of bird flu in Tennessee has been reported at a chicken farm, heightening the threat of the disease in the U.

A commercial chicken breeding facility in south-central Tennessee has been hit by a strain of bird flu, agriculture officials said Sunday. The farm reported an increase in chicken deaths days ago. Middle-class mums have spoken of their confusion after labels began appearing on free-range egg cartons this week to say that chickens are currently housed indoors for their welfare. An avian influenza prevention zone was declared on December 6 and will be lifted on February Farmers disagree with Defra's plan to enforce measures in high-risk areas.

In the wild, at this level of infection, I don't know where it will lead. Shalom Bar Tal, an experienced wildlife photographer, told The Daily Beast that he was one of the only people allowed nocturnal access to observe the dead and dying birds.

For now, no Israeli is known to be infected with H5N1, but Israelis who were exposed to wild birds are taking the antiviral Tamiflu. Both Motro and Bar Tal noted the heartrending scenes of weak, infected cranes leaning over their dead.

Cranes mate for life and live in strong family units, Motro said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you.

Learn more. Spain's huge tourism sector will come close to reaching its pre-pandemic size in , an industry association said, although the surge in the Omicron variant and supply issues will prevent a full recovery this year. Spain was the world's second most visited country before the pandemic. You should ask the people you date to get tested regularly. The irruption of snowy owls being reported this winter in Wisconsin and other states included the return of a bird named Fond du Lac tagged in In response to drought, less water will be released through the Glen Canyon Dam in January through April.

Some scientist see a silver lining. Engineers are considering major changes that may impact operations and maintenance of the Willamette Valley System and will share details at Wednesday meeting. A potent winter storm is forecast to wallop tens of millions of people across the central, southern and eastern U. It looks like another storm, on Friday, will mostly miss this region. Commissioners take possession of pointer poached in The FAA is poised to expand its implementation of continuous approaches at more airports this year to save fuel and greenhouse gas emissions.

See our biosecurity advice for more information. Avian influenza bird flu is a notifiable animal disease. If you suspect any type of avian influenza in poultry or captive birds you must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on In Wales, contact In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office.

Failure to do so is an offence. For details of the current avian influenza H5N1 cases in England and the measures that apply in the disease control zones around these cases, see the avian influenza: cases and disease control zones in England guidance.

Check if you are in a zone on our interactive map. If you find dead wild waterfowl swans, geese or ducks or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, you should report them to the Defra helpline 33 55 Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.

For further information see our advice to the public. The Animal and Plant Health Agency APHA carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds submitted via public reports and warden patrols. For further details see the report updated weekly of findings of HPAI in wild birds in Great Britain and our outbreak assessments. You should register your poultry , even if only kept as pets, so we can contact you during an outbreak.

This is a legal requirement if you have 50 or more birds. Poultry includes chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pigeon bred for meat , partridge, quail, guinea fowl and pheasants. Confirming two new cases at premises near Alford, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire. Updated the page with the latest cases and removed an outdated sentence.

An increase in case numbers from 25 to 28 has been confirmed. Added the following new cases: H5N1 high pathogenic avian influenza confirmed at a premises near Thirsk, Hambleton, North Yorkshire 6th premises on 2 December.

H5N1 high pathogenic avian influenza confirmed at a premises near Tutbury, East Staffordshire, Staffordshire on 2 December. H5N1 high pathogenic avian influenza confirmed at a premises near Leominster, North Herefordshire, Herefordshire on 2 December. Updated from 20 cases currently confirmed in England to 21 cases currently confirmed in England. Updated from 19 cases currently confirmed in England to 20 cases currently confirmed in England.

Updated the pathogenicity for the Leicestershire case on 25 November. Also confirmed two additional cases in North Yorkshire and Lancashire.