The UK government has confirmed the detection of the highly contagious H5N1 strain of avian influenza in poultry at a location in the southwest of England.
Authorities have established a protection zone covering three kilometers and a surveillance zone extending ten kilometers around the site located near Exminster in Devon, indicating that “all poultry at this site will be culled.”
According to Reuters, avian influenza can be fatal for bird populations, having led to the destruction of farming stocks worldwide in recent years.
Health officials are striving to prevent the virus from spreading beyond avian species, including to cattle in the United States.
Three months ago, the World Organisation for Animal Health reported the emergence of a rare and highly infectious H7N5 strain in Germany, at a farm located in the western part of the country, near the border with the Netherlands.
As stated on the World Health Organization’s official website, the H5N1 virus is a type of avian influenza that affects birds and mammals, including humans in rare instances.
However, infections in humans can lead to severe illness with a high mortality rate, as these cases are typically linked to close contact with infected birds. The WHO emphasizes that the virus does not spread easily from person to person, and no such transmission has been reported so far.