New cases of bird flu were detected at premises in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lancashire over the weekend. The discovery raises concerns that the highly infectious disease is spreading quickly.
Government vets found a highly-pathogenic strain of avian influenza in commercial poultry near Northwold, between King's Lynn and Thetford, on September 23. The following day another two cases were confirmed at commercial premises near Hadleigh in Suffolk and near Poulton-le-Fylde in Wyre in Lancashire.
In both cases, Defra established a 3km protection zone and 10kmn surveillance zone to prevent any further spread of the virus. All birds on the infected premises will be humanely culled.
Speaking to BBC News, Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said of the outbreak: "It's a very concerning level of infection out there at the moment."
"It's certainly unusual to have this many [national] cases confirmed at this time of year. It's a disease we usually see in the winter when migratory birds return from where they've been over the summer," she added.
Ms Middlemiss added that a "huge amount of infection" earlier in the year has led to a disease "hangover" in the summer among wild birds that do not migrate. She said: "[A case of bird flu] usually means there's a regional really high level of wild bird infection."
She added keepers should make sure that they are "clean all the time" during day-to-day tasks with their birds, including cleaning footwear when going from coup to coup. The country is in the grip of its worst-ever bird flu outbreak, with more than 130 cases confirmed in England - including five in Norfolk and Suffolk in the past seven days.
On September 19, the disease was found in chickens at farms near Attleborough and the village of Honington, south of Thetford. A second case at Honington was also confirmed on September 22.
Though avian flu can be contracted by humans, Defra has reminded the public that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers". Do not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that you find and instead report them to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77.
