Bird flu outbreak confirmed at second Yorkshire farm as poultry set to be 'humanely culled'

The H5N1 strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a commercial poultry farm in the East Yorkshire town for the second time this month. It has also been found in a premises near Alford, East Lindsay, Lincolnshire.

At both sites, all poultry on the premises is to be ‘humanely culled’ whilst a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been declared.

In addition to the two cases in Pocklington, over the past few months, bird flu cases have also been confirmed in farms near Beverley and Hornsea, in addition to further cases in Lincolnshire and various other parts of the UK.

Concerns around bird flu have heightened this week as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed a rare care of the avian influenza in a person. The UKHSA confirmed that a person in the West Midlands had contracted the disease and has since been admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) unit.

“Currently there is no evidence of onwards transmission from this case”, according to Professor Susan Hopkins, the Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, who added: “The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low despite this confirmed case. We have robust systems in place to detect cases early and take necessary action, as we know that spillover infections from birds to humans may occur.

“People are reminded not to touch sick or dead birds and it’s important that they follow Defra advice about reporting any suspected avian influenza cases.”