On-Air Now
Facebook

Second outbreak of bird flu confirmed

Wed, 26 Jul 2023


People are reminded not to touch sick or dead birds after another positive case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in a wild seabird on Tuesday.
 
More than 300 dead birds, including seagulls, guillemots and gannets, have been collected from local beaches by the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture since 11 July.
 
Although it is not feasible to test all the birds, all five of the samples sent to the UK for testing have come back positive for the H5N1 strain, which has killed hundreds of sea birds in the UK in recent months.
 
Clare Barber MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture said: 'People should take extra care when visiting coastal areas and avoid contact with sick or dead marine life – as the virus is contagious and can be passed from birds to other animals, such as seals. The risk to people remains low and well-cooked eggs and poultry are safe to eat.'
 
No restriction zones have been introduced as the virus has not been found in kept or farmed birds.

 


 

Subscribe to get Energy FM News direct to your mobile device

You can get Energy FM News delivered direct to your mobile device using one of the following methods.

  • In the Apple News App on iOS search for Energy FM IOM and then just add it to your favourites
  • In the Google News & Weather App just search for Energy FM and then add us as a customised section
  • If you use an RSS Reader then just add our feed to your app, click here for our news RSS feed