New GB avian influenza wildlife interactive map and data dashboard launched

Explore results from APHA’s avian influenza in wildlife surveillance programme in Great Britain. Check out the new:

• Interactive map of reported wild bird mortality and findings of avian influenza virus (bird flu) in wild birds and wild mammals
• Interactive data dashboard of findings of avian influenza virus in wild birds

If you've reported a dead wild bird online or via the helpline (03459 33 55 77), check the status of your wild bird report by entering the location of your report or your Defra reference number (prefixed by WSF- or REP-) in the maps search box.

Data in the map and dashboard will be updated weekly. Collection information and test results may show as pending for recent reports.

Find out more about how and why we monitor avian influenza virus infection in wild birds and wild mammals in the Gov.UK guidance.

What is bird flu?

Bird flu is a disease of birds caused by influenza viruses. The viruses are classified according to their ability to cause severe disease in birds as either highly pathogenic or low pathogenic. The highly pathogenic strain currently circulating in the UK is very infectious, a very small amount of virus causes severe disease in birds and is often fatal. In rare cases, it can affect humans.

Is it dangerous?

The advice from the UK Health Security Agency remains that the risk to public health from the virus is very low. Our advice to the public is not to touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that they find

The Food Standards Agency has said that, on the basis of the current scientific evidence, bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. All thoroughly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat

How does it spread?

Bird flu is spread by close contact with an infected bird (dead or alive). This includes:

• Touching infected birds
• Touching droppings or bedding
• Killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking

If you're visiting a foreign country that's had an outbreak you should:

• Wash your hands often with warm water and soap, especially before and after handling food, in particular raw poultry
• Use different utensils for cooked and raw meat
• Make sure meat is cooked until steaming hot
• Avoid contact with live birds and poultry

What not to do:

• Don't go near or touch bird droppings or sick or dead birds
• Don't go to live animal markets or poultry farms
• Don't bring any live birds or poultry back to the UK, including feathers
• Don't eat undercooked or raw poultry or duck
• Don't eat raw eggs

The seasonal flu vaccine doesn't protect against bird flu.

To prevent infection it's important not to touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.

Who does it affect?

Those at highest risk of contracting avian influenza are the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, those who work with birds, and those who live in close contact with birds

What to do with dead birds

If you find small numbers of dead garden birds at your home (domestic residential property only) you can dispose of them in your household or municipal waste bin. If you dispose of a dead wild bird with your household or municipal waste, you should:

1. Pick it up wearing disposable gloves or a plastic bag over your hand.
2. Put the bird in a plastic bag and tie it. Take care not to contaminate the outside of the bag.
3. Put the bird in a second (preferably leak proof) plastic bag, along with the gloves or plastic bag you used to pick it up and tie it. Take care not to touch the outside of the gloves with bare hands.
4. Put it in your outside household or municipal waste bin.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

From the official Gov.UK guidance.

Please check the official guidance on the Gov.UK website for more information.

Causes of bird flu

The main causes of bird flu in poultry and other captive birds are contact with:

• Wild birds, in particular waterfowl such as geese, ducks and swans and gulls
• Faeces from infected birds
• Dirty footwear, clothing and vehicles and equipment

Biosecurity advice

• Keep ducks and geese in a separate pen or building away from other birds
• Ducks and geese don't always show signs of bird flu. This means they can quickly pass it on to other birds, such as chickens or turkeys
• Don't let poultry or captive birds from neighbouring sites or properties near your birds
• Complete the AIPZ self-assessment checklist. Representatives from APHA or local authorities may ask for it if they inspect your premises

Registering

If you have 50 or more poultry or game birds you must register your birds within one month after they arrive at your premises. This is a legal requirement.

If you have fewer than 50 birds you should register your birds, even if you only keep them as pets.

Registering your birds means the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can contact you during a bird flu outbreak and will send you disease alerts for notifiable poultry diseases including avian Influenza.

What happens if my birds get AI?

In the event of avian influenza being confirmed in your flock, any surviving birds will be culled. You only receive compensation from the government for any healthy birds (birds showing no signs or symptoms of the disease at the time of culling) at the value of the birds immediately before culling.

Your holding will also be placed under strict restrictions, affecting all movements on and off the site, including but not limited to people, livestock, bedding, feed and manure.

As the infected premises, you would also be responsible for carrying out and paying for secondary cleansing and disinfection which may have significant financial implications.

This is also linked to when the UK can regain official disease-free status for avian influenza from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Not being able to carry out secondary cleansing and disinfection or a delay in completion can have serious implications on our international trade in poultry meat, eggs and breeding chicks.

Find out more from NFU Online.

What if I am in a disease control zone?

Additional restrictions apply to all poultry keepers within disease control zones. Licences may be required for movements on and off sites that have poultry or captive birds on them. If any part of a holding is within a disease control zone then the whole holding is considered to be within that disease control zone. Licences may be required for movements of livestock, pigs and horses on or off a holding within a disease control zone that also has poultry on it, even if it’s just a few hens in the garden.

A general licence has been issued for the movement of mammals (including livestock) from or to premises in the Protection or Surveillance Zone in England or Wales where poultry and other captive birds are kept (please note that any mammals moved under this licence must have no access to and been kept separate from poultry and any other captive birds for a minimum of 21 days). In order to use the general licence, you must follow all of the requirements listed within the licence. The full list of general licences can be found on the government website.

If there are no poultry or captive birds on both the holding where the movement starts and the holding where it ends then movement licences are not required (unless either site is under individual restriction).

You can find out if you are in a disease control zone by using the APHA’s interactive map.

Get information on the restrictions that apply in avian influenza disease control zones from NFU Online.

The same website also offers general guidance if you have birds on your farm.

Compensation

In the event of avian influenza being confirmed in your flock, any surviving birds will be culled. You only receive compensation from the government for any healthy birds (birds showing no signs or symptoms of the disease at the time of culling) at the value of the birds immediately before culling.

Source: NFU Online

Protect your workers

Please take a look at the advice from the Health and Safety Executive on how to protect yourself and your workers during the avian influenza outbreak, including how to protect yourself when working on a site with infected birds.

National Farmers Union advice on avian influenza

General advice can be found on the NFU Online website.

NHS

• NHS bird flu information

DEFRA

Call the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) helpline on 03459 33 55 77 if you find dead wild birds.

• FAQs
• Data and analysis
• Racing pigeons, birds of prey, other captive birds - advice

NFU

• Guidance if you have birds on your farm