Govt issues advice to Carlow bird and poultry owners to help prevent avian flu

The Irish Government has issued advice to Waterford bird and poultry owners to prevent the spread of avian flu. 

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine yesterday (November 10) reminded owners of poultry and captive birds to keep birds housed and practice good biosecurity. 

According to the Department, biosecurity is the combination of all measures, whether physical or through management, taken to reduce the risk of disease introduction to a flock and reduce the spread of disease between birds. 

The Avian Influenza virus can spread in several different ways including direct contact with other infected domestic or wild birds, which is the biggest risk factor for the spread of the disease. 

Other methods of disease spread include contamination of feed, bedding, equipment and vehicles with infected bird droppings or other material such as respiratory fluid. The virus can also be spread by people through contaminated clothing and footwear and insufficient hand hygiene practices. 

Vermin or wild birds gaining access to poultry houses, feed or bedding storage areas can also lead to spread of disease. 

The main clinical signs of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in birds are: 

• Swollen head
• Blue discoloration of the head, comb, wattles (cyanosis)
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty breathing (gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, rales, gurgling)
• Diarrhoea
• Fewer eggs laid or eggs with watery whites
• Increased mortality

More information on preventing the spread of disease is available here.