Dead chicken in Alderney tests positive for bird flu
Guernsey's States Vet, David Chamberlain, confirmed the outbreak.
The first domestic case of bird flu has been confirmed among some chickens in Alderney.
The outbreak was confirmed among a 'small domestic flock' by Guernsey's States Vet, David Chamberlain, on Tuesday afternoon (16 August).
He's placed the whole island of Alderney under a 'prevention zone' - meaning more frequent inspections can be carried out, and bird owners will have to keep notes if they move between flocks.
Previous cases of avian flu in the island have been among wild birds, rather than those being kept domestically.
One of the owner's chickens was found dead and tested by officials. The result came back positive.
The other four birds being kept in the same coop are being culled this afternoon. Mr Chamberlain says the preventative measure is "sad but necessary".
Alderney's government issued a warning to bird keepers about the virus in June, saying it is spread through contact with infected birds or their excrement.
Bird Flu: Your Questions Answered
What is bird flu?
What is bird flu?
Avian flu is highly infectious and mainly affects birds, although in very rare cases it can transfer to humans and other animals.
The virus is spread through bodily fluids such as saliva and droppings.
It is often passed on by wild birds that migrate from Europe during winter and can be very dangerous for poultry and domestic birds.
How is it spread?
How is it spread?
Birds can be infected with the avian influenza virus through contact with infected saliva, nasal secretions or faeces.
Wild birds including waterfowl are often more resistant to avian influenza than domestic birds and can carry and transmit the virus without showing evidence of disease.
Everyone, at all times but especially now, should take care to maintain good hygiene when feeding garden birds – regularly cleaning feeders outside with mild disinfectant, removing old bird-food, spacing-out feeders as much as possible and washing your hands.
What risk is there to humans?
What risk is there to humans?
There is a very low risk of humans catching bird flu.
It usually requires close and regular contact with an infected bird.
A man from South West England was infected in January 2022 but public health officials stressed the risk to the wider public remains very low.
More on the disease:
More on the disease:
Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can affect humans.
There are lots of different strains of bird flu virus.
Most of them don't infect humans, but there are 4 strains that have caused concern in recent years:
H5N1 (since 1997)
H7N9 (since 2013)
H5N6 (since 2014)
H5N8 (since 2016)
It is strain H5N1 that is currently spreading in the UK