Somerset Health and Wellbeing Updates

AVIAN INFLUENZA (Bird Flu) – From 7^th November 2022, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds housed and to follow stringent biosecurity measures to protect their flocks. This applies whether keepers have commercial flocks, or just a few birds in a backyard. Avian Influenza has been in the country for over a year and since 1 October 2022 there has been 90 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in England alone.   As you may know this strain of the AI is what they call zoonotic in that Humans can catch it, although very treatable people have died from it.    13 of the AI outbreaks have been in Devon/Somerset and this effects our economic trade as well. We need to get the message out to people who only have a few birds to let them know how to protect their pets and themselves from this virus. For more information click HERE