Bird flu warning in Berkshire

Reading Borough Council advised residents to avoid feeding ducks and swans.

People should avoid direct contact with birds and bird droppings, particularly picking up any dead or sick birds.

They news comes after a case of bird flu was confirmed in the South West of England has by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) earlier this month.

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The risk to the wider public continues to be very low, the UKHSA said, but urged people not touch sick or dead birds.

In a statement, the health protection body said: “Bird to human transmission of avian flu is very rare and has only occurred a small number of times in the UK previously.

“The person acquired the infection from very close, regular contact with a large nu number of infected birds, which they kept in and around their home over a prolonged period of time.

“All contacts of the individual, including those who visited the premises, have been traced and there is no evidence of onward spread of the infection to anyone else. The individual is currently well and self-isolating.”

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The UK has recently seen a large number of bird flu outbreaks among animals, with the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, issuing warnings to bird owners over hygiene.

The whole of the UK is covered by avian influenza prevention zones, which require bird keepers to take measures to try and stop the disease’s spread, such as housing or netting all poultry and captive birds to keep them separate from wild birds, and disinfecting clothing and equipment.

Some strains of bird flu can pass from birds to people, but this is extremely rare, according to the UKHSA.

It usually requires close contact with an infected bird, so the risk to humans is generally considered very low.

Human-to-human transmission of bird flu is also very rare, the organisation said.