UK, Norfolk - Latest news about poultry virus outbreak

[Theresa42]

Bird flu spreads to two more farms
Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:07 PM BST

By Madeline Chambers

LONDON (Reuters) - Chickens at two more poultry farms in eastern England have tested positive for bird flu, the environment ministry said on Saturday.

"We can confirm preliminary tests indicate H7N3 (bird flu), but further tests are being carried out," said a spokeswoman, adding two free-range flocks will be slaughtered.

The H7N3 strain of bird flu was found on another farm nearby in the eastern English county of Norfolk earlier this week where 35,000 birds are being culled. The strain is less dangerous to humans than the feared H5N1 bird flu virus.

Japan said earlier on Saturday it was suspending poultry imports from Britain to prevent the spread of bird flu to domestic fowl.

Norfolk is home to some of Europe's biggest poultry farms and the spokeswoman said a restrictive zone of one km was being put in place around each farm.

Britain's chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds said further premises may be involved.

"We are investigating whether there any links or movements between the two suspect farms and the confirmed infected premises," Reynolds said in a statement.

"The working hypothesis remains that the most likely source of the virus is from another premises or from wild birds."

The government has been on high alert for bird flu since it discovered the H5N1 virus in a wild swan in Scotland earlier this month.

The swan was the only wild bird found in Britain so far to have the H5N1 virus, which has spread from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and led to the death and culling of 200 million birds since late 2003.

H5N1 has infected 205 people and killed 113 since 2003.

The environment ministry said it had not been informed of the Japanese suspension of poultry imports.

"If it is the case we will contact the Japanese embassy to explain our view on it which is that a ban would not be appropriate given the circumstances and that would be consistent with the World Animal Health Organisation guidelines," said a spokesman for the department.

The Veterinary Laboratories Agency may have the results of tests from the two new farms on Sunday or early next week.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/new...01_L29457151_RTRUKOC_0_UK-BIRDFLU-BRITAIN.xml

 

[Lyro]

NORFOLK - Restricted zones lifted

NORFOLK - Restricted zones lifted

NORFOLK: LATEST SITUATION
June 28, 2006 - 16:54 (Smallholding Magazine)

Defra reports that the two restriction zones surrounding the three premises in Norfolk where low pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza was found were lifted at 10am on 26 May 2006. The decision was taken after all appropriate surveillance and tracing had been completed and clinical and laboratory testing had found no further positive results. 21 days had passed since the completion of cleansing and disinfection.

On April 28 H7N3 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza was confirmed on a poultry farm in Dereham, Norfolk. The Veterinary Laboratories Agency carried out further investigation and confirmed on May 4 2006, that the virus is a low pathogenic strain, ruling out the presence of the high pathogenicity strain in the flock.

On April 29 tests provided positive results for avian influenza in chickens on two further poultry farms near Dereham, Norfolk. On May 5 the Veterinary Laboratories Agency confirmed that the virus was H7N3 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Defra stresses that H7 does not transmit easily from human to human. In almost all cases of human H7 infection to date, the virus, in both low and high pathogenic forms, has only caused a mild disease. Therefore at this stage Defra believes this is a virus which only has extremely limited implications for human health.

Source: http://www.countrysmallholding.co.uk/content/article.asp?ArticleID=983&at=2

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: NORFOLK - Restricted zones lifted

Re: NORFOLK - Restricted zones lifted

.......Defra stresses that H7 does not transmit easily from human to human. ........

Some think a different evaluation is in order.....

...H7 is easily transmitted from birds to humans as well as human-to-human. The best evidence for the transmission was generated with serum samples linked to the 2003 H7N7 outbreak in the Netherlands. Like the current outbreak in the UK, poultry workers developed conjunctivitis symptoms and over 80 had H7 antibodies. However, a follow-up study using a sensitive assay for H7 antibodies indicated over 2000 contacts were also infected.

 

[Lyro]

UK, Norfolk - Latest news about poultry virus outbreak

FOXES BLAMED FOR BIRD FLU SPREAD
July 12, 2006 (BBC News)

Photo: Dead chickens on a farm in North Tuddenham, Norfolk
35,000 chickens were culled on one North Tuddenham farm

Foxes scavenging carcasses of infected poultry caused the spread of bird flu in Norfolk, a report published by Defra has said.

It also blamed the poultry virus outbreak on free range flocks coming into contact with infected wild birds.

In March two free range flocks and a broiler breeding unit were affected in Norfolk with the H7N3 virus.

The report on the outbreak follows an investigation by the Animal Health and Welfare Directorate.

Almost 100,000 chickens from the three flocks in Norfolk had to be slaughtered.

Contaminated footwear
Inspectors assessed 206 holdings, visited 169 farms where chickens were kept and imposed restrictions on 45 of them while further investigations were carried out.

The report criticised inadequate measures at many farms to protect themselves against biological threats like viruses.

It said that poultry keepers should prevent scavenging of dead birds by foxes and other "free-living species".

The practice of deliberately feeding foxes with poultry carcasses should also stop.

Better security
The report said the virus was probably introduced into other flocks from one free range egg laying flock after foxes brought back carcasses of infected chickens to their dens.

The virus was then introduced into poultry houses on the contaminated footwear of husbandry management staff and egg collectors.

Unsupervised contractors and delivery drivers who visited different sites, with low levels of biosecurity awareness, were also blamed for spreading the condition.

The report called for more awareness of hygiene and better security of sites against bio-threats such viruses and diseases carried by carcasses and scavenging animals like foxes.

Source

 

[Lyro]

UK, Norfolk - Latest news about poultry virus outbreak

FARMERS' FURY OVER BIRD FLU CLAIMS
July 12, 2006 (Norwich Evening News)

Norfolk's farming community has reacted angrily to a statement from a government department linking the spread of bird flu to farmers feeding dead chickens to foxes.

The final report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) into the spring outbreak of H7N3 strain at three farms in North Tuddenham, near Dereham, blames foxes for spreading the disease and says poultry farmers should stop feeding carcasses to foxes.

Its report states: ?The results of this investigation, together with those from a recent survey of poultry keepers, indicate that bio-security measures should include preventing the predation of dead birds by free-living species such as foxes and advocate not practising the deliberate feeding of foxes with poultry carcasses.?

After hearing of the report's conclusions, Stuart Agnew, a leading Norfolk farmer and former county representative on the National Farmer's Union, condemned the suggestion that farmers would intentionally feed foxes as ?stupid? and said it was impossible for farmers to do more to stop dead birds being taken by predators.

A Defra spokesman later denied it was linking farmers feeding foxes with the spread of the disease in Norfolk but rather reinforcing good bio-security advice.

Mr Agnew said: ?That is stupid; no poultry farmer in his right mind would throw out poultry carcasses hoping that a fox would eat it, it is a sure fire way of drawing them to their premises.?

The report states that wild birds were the most likely source of the first outbreak at Mowles Manor Farm, owned by Geoffrey and Simon Dann, around March 17, and that the spread of the disease to Pound Farm, also belonging to the Danns, on about April 2, was probably due to contaminated workers.

It goes on to blame foxes living on Whitford Lodge Farm as the most likely cause of the disease spreading to the site on about April 15, claiming they probably fed on infected carcasses from Pound Farm.

Geoffrey Dann attacked the report for painting a distorted picture of how the family runs Pound and Mowles Manor farms.

?The report sounds like a nice story but I would not put a lot of credence in it,? he said. ?There is almost an implication that we left a pile of carcasses outside the chicken house.?

He said that dead birds were taken away by a registered disposal company and that the farm did not lose much poultry to foxes as chickens were shut away at night.

Source