Bird flu outbreak confirmed among chickens in Dorset

It's thought a pond visited by wild birds may have been the source of infection near Gillingham.

An outbreak of avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry near Gillingham, North Dorset.

A small number of chickens died suddenly and so were tested for bird flu. The results confirmed that they had contracted the H5N8 strain of the disease. The small number of remaining birds at the premises have been humanely culled.

Following this outbreak, a 3-kilometre protection zone has been set up around the premises.

That means anyone who has birds in that area must keep them indoors or netted.

Ivan Hancock is the Service Manager for Trading Standards at Dorset Council. He said:

"Where particular problems arise, are where people are keeping their birds out and maybe there's a bit of water or a pond, or something, as we believe there was in this case, and wild birds visit the feed and visit the same pond, and that's where the disease transmits.

"Because disease outbreak has been identified in a particular place, we swoop on that area and we've got 10 officers up there at the moment."

Those officers are visiting every premise in the zone to find out who has birds, and check they're taking the precautions.

Poultry and captive bird keepers are advised to be vigilant for any signs of disease in their birds and any wild birds and seek prompt advice from their vet if they have any concerns. They can help prevent avian flu by maintaining good biosecurity on their premises, including:

housing or netting all poultry and captive birds

cleansing and disinfecting clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds – if practical, use disposable protective clothing

reducing the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry and captive birds are kept, to minimise contamination from manure, slurry and other products, and using effective vermin control

thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting housing at the end of a production cycle

keeping fresh disinfectant at the right concentration at all points where people should use it, such as farm entrances and before entering poultry and captive bird housing or enclosures

minimising direct and indirect contact between poultry and captive birds and wild birds, including making sure all feed and water is not accessible to wild birds

For more advice and regular updates on the latest situation, visit the Government’s avian flu pages https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

Poultry and captive bird keepers and members of the public should report dead wild birds to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77 (option 7), and keepers should report suspicion of disease to APHA on 03000 200 301.

Public Health England (PHE) has advised that the risk to the public’s health from all four of the virus strains which have been found in England (H5N2, H5N8, H5N5, H5N1) is very low.

The Food Standards Agency has said that on the basis of the current scientific evidence, avian influenza poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.