Bird flu case confirmed at farm in Norfolk
Defra has confirmed that a case of highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza was found at a farm near Attleborough yesterday.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been put in place by the government agency.
Defra also confirmed that "all poultry on the premises will be humanely culled".
A protection zone has been put in place near Attleborough (Image: Defra) It comes after restrictions were lifted for the county on May 15.
The previous outbreak sparked the enforcement of a mandatory housing order across the county, forcing birds to be kept indoors to stop the disease from spreading.
Earlier in the year, cases had been detected in Loddon, King's Lynn and Wymondham.
READ MORE:
The outbreak came simultaneously with the virus being detected in 15 dead seals at Blakeney Point, one of England's best-known colonies.
However, according to Defra's scientific risk assessment the threat had fallen, meaning poultry and other captive birds returned to being kept outside again.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The mental health impact of childhood verbal abuse explained in new study
Verbal abuse of children could be as damaging to their mental health in adulthood as physical abuse, researchers have found. A study of more than 20,000 adults in England and Wales found that people exposed to verbal abuse in childhood were likely to feel disconnected, pessimistic, and emotionally unwell in later life. Adults who were physically abused as children had a 52 per cent higher chance of experiencing low mental wellbeing, and this stood at around 64 per cent for those who had been subjected to solely verbal abuse. Being exposed to both types of abuse compounded the risk even further, at 115 per cent higher, the study led by Liverpool John Moores University found. While verbal abuse did show as having a marginally higher impact in this study, the researchers said the difference was not statistically significant and that further studies would be needed perhaps with a larger sample size to confirm the validity of the difference. Lead author, Professor Mark Bellis, who is director of research and innovation at the university, said: 'Our research shows that verbal abuse in childhood may inflict mental health scars as deep and enduring as those caused by physical abuse. Important progress has been made in reducing physical abuse, but verbal abuse is often overlooked.' The study, published in the BMJ Open, also suggested the prevalence of verbal abuse has risen in recent decades 'eroding the long-term mental health benefits we should see from reducing physical abuse'. The authors worked alongside Bangor University and Public Health Wales to pool data from seven relevant studies, involving 20,687 adults from England and Wales and looking at birth cohorts from the 1950s onwards. They found that the prevalence of child physical abuse halved from around 20 per cent among those born between 1950 and 1979 to 10 per cent among those born in 2000 or later. But when it came to verbal abuse, the prevalence rose from 12 per cent among those born before 1950 to around 20% among those born in 2000 or later. The researchers said an estimated one in six children endure physical abuse, primarily from family members and caregivers, but one in three are subjected to verbal abuse. Jessica Bondy, founder of Words Matter, an organisation focused on ending childhood verbal abuse by adults said: 'This study confirms what survivors and professionals have long known: words can wound deeply and have a lasting impact on a child's mental health and development. We all get overloaded sometimes, but too many adults are turning to harsh words without realising the lasting damage they cause to children. 'Any gains made in reducing physical abuse risk being undone by rising rates of verbal abuse. We must act now to confront the lasting harm caused by cruel, critical or controlling language. We need to build children up – not knock them down. The mental health of the next generation and our shared future depend on it.'


NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
RFK Jr. cuts $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts, dealing major blow to promising area of research
The Trump administration is terminating 22 contracts focused on developing mRNA vaccines and winding down additional federal investments in mRNA technology, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday. Many scientists and infectious disease experts swiftly denounced the move as a broadside on an area of research seen as particularly promising after its use in rapidly developing Covid vaccines. The projects that are being axed were funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a Department of Health and Human Services program that works with the pharmaceutical industry to develop vaccines and other countermeasures for public health emergencies. 'This isn't just about vaccines,' Rick Bright, who directed BARDA from 2016 to 2020, said in a text message. 'It's about whether we'll be ready when the next crisis hits. Cutting mRNA development now puts every American at greater risk.' 'The Covid pandemic showed us what's possible when science moves fast,' he added. 'Dismantling that momentum now is like disbanding the fire department because the fire's out.' Kennedy said Tuesday that the terminated contracts were worth nearly $500 million. Among them is an award to the University of Texas Medical Branch and the biotechnology company Moderna to develop an mRNA-based vaccine for H5N1, the strain of bird flu that has infected dozens of people in the United States. "After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks and benefits for these respiratory viruses," Kennedy said in a video announcement on X. "Let me be absolutely clear, HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them," he added. "That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA for respiratory viruses and investing in better solutions." The move adds to mounting evidence that Kennedy, a high-profile figure in the anti-vaccine movement who softened his rhetoric after the presidential election and in confirmation hearings, is pursuing an aggressive anti-vaccine agenda that includes gutting a crucial vaccine advisory committee and cutting $2 billion from a program that supports vaccines for vulnerable children. Kennedy has referred to Covid shots as the 'deadliest vaccine ever made,' a claim contradicted by reams of studies that have found them to be safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the vaccines saved more than 200,000 lives in the United States and prevented more than 1.5 million hospitalizations in the first 10 months they were available. Many pharmaceutical companies have prioritized mRNA research because the platform can easily be updated to target new viruses or variants, and scientists see it as an important tool to prepare for future pandemics. But mRNA technology has become a primary target for anti-vaccine activists who have argued — despite ongoing and sizable research — that it represents a massive safety threat. Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy, applauded defunding mRNA vaccine projects under BARDA on Tuesday. "While we believe that the mRNA shots on the market are unsafe and should be off the market, this is a welcome step in the right direction. The pandemic preparedness industry as it exists today is a threat to human welfare," CEO Mary Holland said in a statement on X. In his announcement Tuesday, Kennedy suggested that mRNA vaccines fail to sufficiently protect against Covid and flu, that they can be rendered ineffective by a single mutation and that they can even prolong pandemics. But infectious disease and vaccine experts said he grossly mischaracterizes the science. "That's exactly why mRNA is so valuable: It's the only platform where you can actually update the vaccine really quickly," said Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford Medicine. Terminating mRNA contracts under BARDA is "a very misguided, irresponsible and I would say reckless move," Scott said. "It really does reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of how vaccines work and how a vaccine against a respiratory virus in particular should be expected to work." Kennedy said Tuesday that the BARDA funding would be shifted 'toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate," such as whole-virus vaccines, which use weakened or deactivated versions of viruses to trigger immune responses.


Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
RFK Jr. announces end to some mRNA contracts, including for flu, covid
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday a crackdown on mRNA vaccine technology and research to develop it, following months of pressure from anti-vaccine activists. According to HHS, the Trump administration has launched 'a coordinated wind-down' of 22 mRNA projects supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the government's biodefense agency. Other mRNA projects funded by HHS are not affected by the new announcement.