A mass cull of poultry has been ordered after an outbreak of bird flu on a farm in Yorkshire.
A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place around the farm near Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire and all the fowl on the property will be destroyed, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said.
The discovery of the H5N5 variant of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on the farm means DEFRA has increased the risk warning for wild birds “from medium to high”.
The virus is typically spread through birds’ faeces, mucus and saliva.
“All bird keepers are urged to remain vigilant and take action to protect their birds following a further increase in the avian influenza (‘bird flu’) risk levels in Great Britain,” DEFRA said in a statement.
Bird flu may be evolving under the radar
Bird flu has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in recent years, and has increasingly spread to mammals, raising concerns it may lead to human-to-human transmission.
The last avian flu outbreak in the UK happened in February and was described as the country’s largest ever.
That was the H5N1 strain, while the latest outbreak in Hornsea is the H5N5 strain.
In July, US scientists said their was “strong evidence” bird flu has spread from mammals to humans for the first time, marking another step in the evolution of the deadly virus.
Analysis concluded a Texas farm worker who tested positive for the H5N1 virus caught it from sick dairy cattle.
Although there have been other people infected with the virus in recent years – including some who have died – they all acquired it from birds.