Avian Influenza - risk for Jersey is low

11 April 2006

Avian Influenza update

Overview

There have been no outbreaks of Avian Influenza (AI) in Jersey or on the adjacent areas of France and England. The level of risk for there being an outbreak is still judged to be low, however active surveillance remains in place and members of the public are being asked to report any dead birds to the Environment Department, by telephoning 866200.

On the evening of Friday 7 April a male mallard that had been found hobbling around the car park at Greve de Lecq was taken to the Jersey Animal Shelter. Overnight it developed flu like symptoms and these were confirmed by a post mortem carried out by the acting States Veterinary Officer as requiring further examination. Tissue samples were taken and dispatched overnight to a veterinary laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey. A negative result was returned on Monday 10 April.

As a precautionary measure and pending the results from the tissue samples various actions were taken:

• All birds that had been in contact with the suspect bird at the Jersey Animal Shelter were destroyed;
• The building that had housed the birds was disinfected;
• The car park at Greve de Lecq was disinfected;
• Poultry flocks within a 1000m radius of the car park were ordered to be kept under cover to reduce the risk of transmission of the disease to them. This requirement has now been removed.

Other measures in place

A full contingency plan for dealing with outbreaks is in place. This is underpinned by two Orders made under the Diseases of Animals Law by the Minister to help control the spread of the disease to Jersey and to allow better control should it arrive. In brief the measures contained in these Orders are:

No birds may be imported without a licence;

No poultry products from countries outside the EU that have had an outbreak of AI may be imported;

All poultry flocks must be registered (see our additional information on registration on this site);

No bird shows without a licence;

No export without a licence of racing pigeons that are intended to fly back to Jersey ;

Power to order poultry under cover;

Power to set up zones of control around infected places;

Power to destroy birds that are infected or suspected of being infected;

Power to stop vehicles and to order them and their cargo’s to a place of quarantine.