Bird flu confirmed at Lancashire farm

BIRD FLU has been confirmed at a farm in Lancashire, although the government says there is no safety risk for consumers.
The poultry farm has been sealed off since the H7N7 strain of the virus was identified, not the H5N1 strain that led to the deaths of nearly 300 people in 2009.
The disease is highly contagious amongst birds, and a cull of the flock on the infected farm began on Monday morning (July 13). However, Public Health England has said there is very little danger for people from this strain.
Health officials have placed a 1.8 mile ‘protection zone’ around the farm, near Preston, and will be carefully monitoring a six-mile area beyond that.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has begun an investigation into the outbreak.