UK hit by ‘highly infectious’ bird flu as govt declares national prevention zone to halt spread — RT

 

British health chiefs confirmed a “highly infectious” bird flu outbreak in England on Thursday as the government declared a national prevention zone, echoing similar drastic action taken by other European nations.

The H5N8 strain of bird flu was found in broiler breeder chickens on a farm near the town of Leominster in Herefordshire, western England, in what is the UK’s latest report of highly infectious bird flu.

It follows other cases of H5N8 in wild birds in Gloucestershire, Devon and Dorset in southern England and at a farm in Cheshire in the north of the country.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has since been imposed on England, Scotland and Wales. Bird keepers are now legally required to feed birds in enclosed areas, minimize movements within enclosures and disinfect footwear, among other health measures to halt its spread.