Bird Flu (avian influenza)
Bird flu circulates naturally in wild birds so when they migrate to the UK in winter they can pass the disease on to poultry and other domestic birds. The disease mainly affects birds but can also affect humans and other mammals.
Avian influenza (or bird flu) is a notifiable animal disease.
Visit GOV.UK for guidance on how to spot and report it in poultry or other captive birds.
Latest situation
To find out the latest bird flu situation in England and guidance for bird keepers and the public, please see Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England on GOV.UK.
To find out how to provent bird flu and stop it spreading, please see Bird flu (avian influenza): how to prevent it and stop it spreading on GOV.UK.
You can sign up to Defra’s alerts service to keep up to date with the latest news.
The NHS also has a page on Bird flu - NHS, which covers how bird flu spreads to humans, things to do to prevent bird flu, symptoms of bird flu in humans, and when to seek medical advice.
Kent Animal and Plant Health Emergency Plan
For further information, please see Kent County Council's animal and plant health emergency plan (PDF, 2.4 MB) setting out the planning and response framework for notifiable and other serious animal or plant disease outbreaks within the administrative boundary of Kent and Medway, as well as outlining the broader community impacts of such an event.