Bird flu case confirmed on Isle of Man

Mon, 17 Jan 2022

A case of bird flu has been confirmed in the Isle of Man.

It is the first time the H5N1 virus, which is highly contagious amongst birds but not people, has been recorded on the Island. However, the UK is currently facing its largest ever outbreak, which has led to thousands of farmed birds being culled since November.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) responded on Friday after a bird keeper in Sulby found 11 of his geese dead near a pond on his property.

Samples were taken and sent to the UK for analysis, which have confirmed the geese died from the H5N1 strain.

In view of this, a ‘Protection Zone’ of 1 km (0.6 miles) has been introduced around the affected site, in which keepers must house their birds and must not move them off their property.