With 1.5 million pounds, the government supports research into outbreaks of bird flu. Image Bird Flu outbreak A team of experts, including scientists from the Roslin Institute, is carrying out a £1.5 million project to develop strategies to combat bird flu. The initiative follows a record number of cases in the United Kingdom, the largest and longest outbreak recorded in that country and in many parts of Europe. The consortium's findings will inform measures to reduce the risk of birds becoming infected and thus prevent transmission to humans. The recent outbreak of bird flu has significantly affected our poultry industry and - thanks to our hard-working scientists, vets and farmers - we have been able to stamp out disease. This new consortium will allow us to combine our expertise at a national level to increase the speed and quality of our research, ensuring we can develop new strategies to aid our efforts against this insidious disease. Professor Christine Middlemiss UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer The study's findings could benefit the U.K. poultry sector and rural economy, which have been significantly impacted by this year's outbreak. The lessons learned will also be shared with international partners to support their efforts to control the disease and thus reduce the global risk. The consortium is led by the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) and funded by the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We have never experienced such a large and long-lasting bird flu outbreak, afflicting poultry and wild birds. We will work with colleagues from a range of scientific fields to bridge knowledge gaps that underpin our ability to prevent and mitigate the threat of avian influenza. Professor Paul Digard Chair of Virology, Roslin Institute Interdisciplinary consortium The collaboration aims to understand how current influenza virus strains can form larger and longer outbreaks, how the virus can enter poultry farms, and how to overcome these challenges. Scientists will also study spread and infection in different bird populations, including how the virus is transmitted from wild birds to farmed poultry and why some birds, such as ducks, are more resistant to avian influenza strains than others. They will map and model the spread of infection over time and across species and develop models to predict how viruses will evolve and spread in the future. This new national consortium will study the unprecedented avian influenza outbreak to better understand this latest strain and how to tackle it. This will feed rapidly into government decision-making and new strategies to protect the poultry industry and reduce the risk of future transmission to humans. Professor Melanie Welham Executive Chair, BBSRC Related Links The Roslin Institute Professor Paul Digard profile Low-cost freezing method to safeguard indigenous poultry Genetic contact tracing could help curb TB outbreaks Bird influenza tests sought to assess emerging strains This article was published on 2022-11-03
