Cases of the highly infectious avian flu H5N1, also known as bird flu, has been confirmed in various parts of the UK, which has been increasing since November last year.
The rise in cases have prompted restrictions and preventive measures to be put in place to control the spread and protect poultry.
Due to the outbreak, the government imposed in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the country from November 3, 2021.
This means that UK bird keepers are being legally required to keep their birds indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to restrict the spread of the disease.
Here's what you need to know about avian flu including symptoms, whether it is harmful to humans and why free-range eggs are not available in UK supermarkets anymore.
What is avian flu and is it dangerous for humans?
Avian flu or bird flu is an infectious type of influenza, which spreads among birds.
While some strains of the flu can pass to humans, this is very rare and generally requires very close contact with an infected bird.
Though the UKHSA has advised that people should not touch sick or dead birds, the risk to humans considered very low, with fewer than five cases of the disease recorded among humans in the UK.
The Food Standards Agency has also assured that based on current scientific evidence, the avian flu doesn't pose much risk to food safety in the UK and that properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs are safe to consume.
What are the symptoms of bird flu?
The main symptoms of bird flu in humans include very high temperature feeling hot or shivering cold, muscle aches and headaches as well as cough or shortness of breath.
Some of the earlier signs may also include diarrhoea, sickness, stomach pain, chest pain, bleeding from the nose and gums, and conjunctivitis.
The symptoms appear quickly, usually within three to five days after you've been infected.
How can bird flu be treated?
There is no vaccine for bird flu and the seasonal flu vaccine doesn't provide protection against bird flu.
If you have symptoms of bird flu, you will be advised to stay home or you might be cared for in a hospital, isolated from other patients.
Why are free-range eggs no longer available in UK supermarkets?
Free-range eggs are no longer available in UK supermarkets, because the avian flu restrictions have meant that free-range laying hens have been kept inside for more than 16 weeks.
This means that their eggs are no longer free-range and have to be labelled as barn eggs, which is the name for eggs produced by permanently indoor hens.
The British Retail Consortium have said that signs will be put in supermarkets to let customers know of the change in labelling, and that the free-range label will return after the hens are permitted to go outside again.
