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| Bird flu confirmed at Yorkshire duck farm | Bird flu confirmed at Yorkshire duck farm |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire, officials have said. | A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire, officials have said. |
| The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the risk to public health was very low. A cull of poultry is being carried out at the site and an exclusion zone is in place. | The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the risk to public health was very low. A cull of poultry is being carried out at the site and an exclusion zone is in place. |
| The exact strain has not been confirmed, but the deadly H5N1 form has been ruled out by Defra officials. | |
| The virus spreads between birds and, in rare cases, can affect humans. | The virus spreads between birds and, in rare cases, can affect humans. |
| The case is the first in the UK since 2008, when chickens on a farm in Banbury, Oxfordshire tested positive for the virus. | |
| On Sunday, an outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in the Netherlands. | On Sunday, an outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in the Netherlands. |
| The government there has temporarily banned the transport of poultry and eggs. | |
| 'Strong record' | |
| The exclusion zone around the Yorkshire farm will prevent all poultry and poultry waste being transferred in or out of the area. Some 6,000 ducks will be culled. | The exclusion zone around the Yorkshire farm will prevent all poultry and poultry waste being transferred in or out of the area. Some 6,000 ducks will be culled. |
| Defra said the flu strain had been identified as the H5 virus, but stressed it was not the H5N1 strain. | |
| Test results confirming the exact strain are not expected to be available until later on Monday. | |
| A Defra spokeswoman said: "We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire - the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain. | A Defra spokeswoman said: "We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire - the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain. |
| "We are taking immediate and robust action which includes introducing a 10km (6 mile) restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection. A detailed investigation is ongoing. | |
| "We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK." | "We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK." |
| Low threat | |
| A Public Health England spokesman said: "Public Health England are assisting Defra in the investigation of an avian flu outbreak at a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire. | |
| "Based on what we know about this specific strain of avian influenza, the risk to human health in this case is considered extremely low." | |
| According to the NHS, most types of bird flu are harmless to humans. | According to the NHS, most types of bird flu are harmless to humans. |
| But two strains, H5N1 and H7N9, have caused "serious concern in recent years". | |
| H5N1 has a mortality rate of about 60% within infected humans, according to the World Health Organisation. Hundreds of people have died from this strain after becoming infected in previous outbreaks. | |
| H7N9, meanwhile, was first detected in China in 2013 and has led to dozens of deaths. | |
| The NHS website said that although these viruses "don't infect people easily and are usually not transmitted from human to human", they had led to people becoming infected around the world, as well as deaths. | |
| "Other bird flu viruses (particularly H7N7 and H9N2) have also infected people, but these have rarely caused severe illness." | "Other bird flu viruses (particularly H7N7 and H9N2) have also infected people, but these have rarely caused severe illness." |
| Do you live in the affected area? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number. | Do you live in the affected area? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number. |
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