In recent months, the UK has been plagued by a record epidemic of bird flu, which has resulted in the culling of 500,000 caged birds.

"This year, we are seeing the greatest ever epidemic of avian influenza in the UK, with 36 confirmed cases," Environment Secretary George Eustice told the House of Commons.

He added that at the beginning of November, an avian influenza prevention zone was proclaimed across the UK, necessitating tight biosecurity controls and the confinement of all birds.

"Our chief veterinary officer continues to lead the response to this incident," he continued.

Christine Middlemiss, the head veterinarian, has already expressed her alarm about the situation.

Outbreak

After confirming new outbreaks overnight, she told BBC Radio 4's Today program: "We now have a total of 40 contaminated properties throughout the UK - that's a fairly high figure for the time of year for anything we've observed before." Last winter, there were 26 outbreaks.

"All of the birds on the grounds must be killed because of the continued risk of infection," Middlemiss added. A total of half a million people will have been removed at this point."

She said that the food supply would not be affected. "That seems like a tremendous amount, and it is for those keepers who are impacted, but it is a minor number in terms of egg supply, meat, chicken, and so on."

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Migratory Birds

Migratory wild birds carry the illness from Europe, where significant infection levels have been seen.

After a postmortem by the pathology laboratory at Scotland's Rural College, a rare white-tailed eagle discovered dead on Skye was among the wild birds to test positive for bird flu.

It's likely to be Scotland's first confirmed case of bird flu in an eagle. On November 14, an adult eagle from a well-established territory on Trotternish was discovered dead. It may have eaten diseased greylag geese, according to ornithologists.

According to Middlemiss, nearly 300 wild birds with the illness had been discovered in more than 80 locales. She stated that there were "a lot of viruses out there." Although there is little risk to humans, diseased birds should not be handled.

"We used to have a reasonable-sized epidemic and then two or three calm years," she explained. But that isn't the case right now. This is something we're witnessing all around Europe. We need to figure out why we're getting these illnesses year after year."

Actions

"We're continuing to get fresh detections," Middlemiss replied when asked if the sickness was still spreading. I confirmed two more last night, and we've been running at that pace for the past week or so. We're seeing a lot of infectious pressure from our wild birds."

Middlemiss advised yard bird feeder owners to "take normal hygiene measures."

"If you own hens and want to feed wild birds, make sure everything is spotless and separate, so you don't infect your birds and make them ill," she warned.

On-going Study

"We don't know explicitly, but it's certainly one of the thoughts that our specialists are thinking," Middlemiss said when asked if the climate issue was to blame for the rising illness. During the summer, the birds fly to the north of Russia, where they interact with birds from various parts of the world and exchange diseases. As a result, it's highly possible that different mixing is occurring as a result of climate change and changes in routes."

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