It has been confirmed this week that an Oxford swan had bird flu.
A member of Swan Support, a charity helping sick and injured swans in the Thames Valley area, confirmed that the case was related to a swan at Iffley Lock.
There have been a number of suspected cases of avian flu after several birds, including three swans and a number of geese, were found dead in Port Meadow.
Swan Support added that the case of the dead birds at Port Meadow is still being investigated by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
This comes as Oxfordshire County Council has released advice to those living in the local area, warning them to keep away from wild birds and to avoid touching them. The council added that people should keep to footpaths, keep dogs on a lead, not feed wild waterfowl and not touch or pick up dead or sick wild birds.
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “People can also spread the disease on their clothes and shoes”.
Whilst some strains of bird flu can pass to humans, the UK Health Security Agency states that this is extremely rare and usually requires very close contact with the infected bird, therefore concluding that the risk of transmission to humans is a low.
Image: Robert Woeger
