PEOPLE across Carmarthenshire are being reassured that locally produced poultry and eggs are safe to eat.
The announcement, by the Food Standards Agency, follows the news that a swan found dead in Fife, Scotland did contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus.
Department of the Environment Farming & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has stated that on the basis of a preliminary risk assessment it has been concluded that a GB-wide poultry housing requirement would be disproportionate.
The public is being reassured that there is no reason for health concerns as avian influenza is a disease of birds.
Avian influenza H5N1, or "bird flu", is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. While all bird species are thought to be susceptible to infection, domestic poultry flocks are especially vulnerable to infections that can rapidly cause epidemics in poultry.
Transmission to humans in close contact with poultry or other birds occurs rarely and only with some strains of avian influenza. The potential for transformation of avian influenza into a form that both causes severe disease in humans and spreads easily from person to person is a great concern for world health.
Avian flu often causes little or no disease in wild waterfowl but sometimes causes large outbreaks associated with high mortality in poultry. In these instances the term "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI) is used. This form, which was first recognized in Italy in 1878, is extremely contagious in birds and rapidly fatal, with a mortality approaching 100%. Birds can die on the same day that symptoms first appear. Outbreaks in poultry may spread rapidly.
For more information and guidance on Avian Flu please click on the link below to the DEFRA website.
INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A DEAD BIRD
Members of the public should call the DEFRA helpline
08459 335577
if they find:
One or more dead swans, or
More than three dead birds of the same species, or
More than five dead birds of different species
Callers will be asked to provide details of the finding and location.
The Welsh Assembly Government has advised local authorities that the one off garden bird is not a problem, and people should dispose of those in the normal way.