Ireland urges poultry owners to remain vigilant against bird flu

Ireland on Saturday urged poultry owners to remain vigilant against avian influenza, due to confirmation of outbreak of such influenza in a poultry flock in Lincolnshire, England.

In a statement, the Irish Department of Agriculture advised poultry owners to maintain strict biosecurity measures and report any disease suspicion to their nearest veterinary office of the department.

An early warning system is in place with regard to surveillance for signs of disease in wild birds, the department said, adding that it continues to closely monitor and assess the disease situation.

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 (bird flu) has been confirmed in a turkey flock near the coast in Lincolnshire, England.

The H5N8 subtype of avian influenza has been responsible for a number of outbreaks of disease in both wild birds and poultry in several European countries since the end of October this year. Whilst the H5N8 subtype can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds, no human infections with this virus have ever been reported world-wide and therefore risk to humans is considered to be very low.

source: Xinhua