Tourists are advised to avoid sick or deceased birds found on beaches in the United Kingdom (UK) due to an ongoing avian flu outbreak affecting wild populations.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has expressed concerns about the rapid spread among seabird populations, which they describe as a potential "crisis." However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reassures that the risk to humans remains minimal.
Stay Away From Sick Birds
Holidaymakers are also being cautioned to keep dogs on leashes and report any bird sightings to authorities. As per BBC's report, hundreds of deceased birds, suspected to have avian flu, have been found on UK beaches recently, including Sefton Coast, Blackpool, Stonehaven Beach, Isle of Man, and south Pembrokeshire coast.
The National Trust General Manager Rhian Sula said that they are actively warning visitors about the bird flu virus, particularly those who may not be aware of the situation. Close contact with infected birds and their droppings can spread bird flu, although human infections are rare.
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has collected around 700 to 800 birds, mainly guillemots, razorbills, and gannets, indicating the area is experiencing its second wave of bird flu.
Jeff Knott, the RSPB's director of policy and advocacy, told BBC News about their concern on the unprecedented number of seabird deaths, estimating that tens of thousands of birds are washing up on the coastline, which could represent hundreds of thousands or even millions of birds in reality.
Coupled with other threats like environmental changes, wind farms, and fishing vessel bycatch, bird flu could have severe consequences for rare seabirds, potentially leading to local extinction. The RSPB urges the UK's devolved governments to implement new seabird conservation strategies to address the crisis.
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Human Infection Due to Avian Flu in the UK
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released its latest technical briefing on avian influenza, reporting two additional asymptomatic human detections of influenza A (H5N1) through their surveillance program of individuals with direct exposure to infected birds.
Although precautionary contact tracing was carried out, no evidence of human-to-human transmission was found, and the human health risk assessment remained at Level 3.The program, launched in March, has detected a total of four cases so far, with 144 individuals from eight infected premises being tested through enhanced surveillance of poultry workers.
Dr. Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at UKHSA, emphasized that the current evidence suggests that avian influenza viruses do not easily spread to people, but close contact with infected birds can lead to transmission, which is why surveillance programs are being conducted to understand these risks better.
The detected cases may result from either environmental contamination or infection, and the appropriate public health response is promptly initiated upon any detection.
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