This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Avian influenza precautions
17/03/2003
The Executive today reminded egg and poultry producers
about the importance of tight biosecurity measures,
following an outbreak of Avian Influenza in the
Netherlands.
The import of live poultry and hatching eggs from the
Netherlands has been banned, paralleling emergency EU
legislation introduced on March 3 imposing a ban on
exports.
The risk of this highly pathogenic strain of avian
influenza becoming established in the UK flock is
considered low.
Producers are advised to take precautions to minimise
introduction of disease into their birds by:
- the prudent use of disinfectants on clothing,
footwear and vehicles.
- clearing up external feed spillages quickly and
otherwise preventing wild bird access to food.
- keeping to a minimum the number of staff with
access to the poultry houses and non-essential visitors
should not be allowed into or near poultry houses.
- Staff should also be alert to the possibility they
could transmit infection and pay particular heed to
their personal biosecurity.
Producers are advised to take all reasonable steps to
prevent their flocks coming into contact with wild birds.
This is particularly relevant in areas where wild birds
tend to congregate such as coastal or other areas where
there is extensive surface water.
Producers are also advised to be vigilant for any signs
of respiratory disease in their birds, and to contact their
local veterinary office immediately if they have
concerns.
Spread from bird to bird is mainly through infected
faeces and contamination of equipment. Migrating birds
often carry low pathogenic avian influenza viruses, but
they would have to be passed on to UK poultry and then
mutate to highly pathogenic variants in them in order to
cause disease. This is a rare occurrence. Although some
wildfowl may be able to carry high pathogenic avian
influenza without showing signs of disease, most migrating
birds susceptible to infection would quickly fall ill and
die soon after exposure.
The UK is not considered to be risk from air-borne
infection of the virus, as air-borne spread is limited to a
few hundred metres.
The disease situation in the Netherlands is being kept
under constant review by the Scottish Executive's
Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERA) and
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Should there be any significant change the risk assessment
for the UK will immediately be reviewed.
Authorities in the Netherlands have taken action to
restrict the movement of poultry, poultry manure and eggs
across the whole of the Netherlands. Neighbouring areas in
other Member States have also taken precautionary action
where it has been established that they had some form of
contact in the affected region.
Avian influenza viruses very occasionally infect humans.
However, this is a very rare event. An outbreak of avian
influenza (strain H5N1) in Hong Kong in 1997 resulted in
the death of six people. However, there was no evidence of
human to human spread. The strain of the virus in the
Netherlands (H7N7) is unlikely to pose a risk to public
health.
Investigations are still ongoing into the possible
causes and full extent of the outbreak in the Netherlands.
The EU is reviewing control measures regularly at meetings
of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal
Health.