In Europe, the UK is said to have had the worst outbreak of avian flu ever seen in the entire northern hemisphere, with the virus spreading to UK non-migratory wild birds due to a mutation.
The situation is serious. It is said that we are in the midst of the worst avian flu epidemic ever seen in Europe, the UK, especially the entire northern hemisphere.
In other words, although there has been an epidemic that has caused concern from time to time in the past years, this time we are faced with a new form of the H5N1 virus. There was an extensive article on this subject in The Week magazine. Let me cite some information from there:
Can’t find turkey with egg
Due to this epidemic, which is also a great threat to humans, approximately 3.5 million chickens, ducks and turkeys were culled on farms in England. It is stated that 48 million birds across Europe and tens of millions of birds globally have been destroyed due to the virus. This is why there are reports that eggs are rationed in some UK supermarkets. The British will also have a hard time finding a turkey this Christmas.
It is known that the virus in question was first detected in 1996 in Guangdong province in southern China. A year later, this epidemic spread to chicken farms in Hong Kong, causing the death of six people. The virus also spread among about 200 migratory birds in Qinghai Lake in China in 2005. Since then it has affected wild birds in Europe, the Middle East and North America.
The new, highly pathogenic H5N1 with up to 100 reproduction numbers is spreading extremely rapidly. The outbreaks in England were caused by migratory waterfowl that brought the virus with them as they came from Europe and the Arctic during the autumn and winter months. After these birds left the country in the spring, the epidemic was over.
Spread in wild birds
But this time the situation is different. H5N1 first spread to non-migratory wild birds of England, possibly due to a mutation in the virus. More than 300 outbreaks were reported in seabird colonies in Britain during the summer of this year. Coastal areas, which are breeding grounds for some species, have been closed to the public. The worst affected birds are said to be Guillemot and Kittiwake. About 85 percent of colonies formed by some species are thought to have disappeared.
The National Trust announced that about 5,700 dead birds have been collected in the Farne Islands. On the Solway Firth between Cumbria and Scotland, 16,000 barnacle geese died last winter. Scientists also announced great losses in bird population at Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth, which is home to the world’s largest gannet colony.
Does it infect humans?
It was claimed that tens of millions of people could die if H5N1 was transmitted to humans during past avian flu epidemics, especially in 2005. Since 2003, bird flu cases have been seen in 868 people, and 456 people have died. However, it is stated that the transmission of the virus from person to person is very rare now. Virologists think that H5N1 has become less dangerous to humans since its emergence 25 years ago. However, the current high number of cases still increases the likelihood of dangerous mutations. There are scientists who say that bird flu is a “ticking bomb”
No vaccine
Although there are some vaccines for birds, a preventive vaccine has not yet been found if it infects humans. With migratory birds returning to Britain in the fall and winter, scientists also fear that the UK bird population will face a tough winter.
All living things, including humans, are under threat on the planet that was destroyed by human hands.