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06th Feb 2018

A case of bird flu has been confirmed in Tipperary

Conor Heneghan

bird flu

The bird flu was found in a wild bird in Tipperary on 31 January.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced on Tuesday that it has confirmed avian influenza subtype H5N6 in a wild bird, a white-tailed sea eagle, in Tipperary.

The bird was found dead on 31 January.

The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSE-HPSC) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) have advised that the risk to public health from H5N6 avian influenza is very low and that the disease poses no food safety risk for consumers.

The discovery, they say, is not unexpected given the detection of highly pathogenic H5N6 in wild birds in multiple locations in Great Britain since the start of January and in other European countries prior to that.

Further tests are being carried out to determine whether the virus is the same strain of H5N6. The results of these tests will become available in the next few days.

The finding indicates an increased risk of introduction of avian influenza into poultry and captive bird flocks, and that strict bio-security measures are necessary to prevent this. This applies to all flocks, irrespective of size.

In particular, flock owners should feed and water birds inside or under cover where wild birds cannot access the feed or water.

Flock owners are urged to keep poultry separate from wild birds by putting suitable fencing around the outdoor areas they access, to remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their flocks and to report any disease suspicion to their nearest Department Veterinary Office.

An early warning system is in place with Birdwatch Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Association of Regional Game Councils with regard to surveillance for signs of disease in wild birds.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine says it will continue to closely monitor and assess the disease situation and maintain close contact with their counterparts in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on the matter.

Further information on avian influenza can be found here.

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