Visitors to a wildfowl sanctuary at a popular Cork attraction have been advised to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds they may find after avian influenza cases were detected.
Cork City Council said the virus, known as bird flu, is circulating among wild birds at The Lough, a freshwater lake between Ballyphehane and Glasheen in the southwest of the city.
The council said the highly pathogenic avian influenza HPAI (H5N1) was confirmed after tests were conducted on birds found dead around the four-hectare lake.
“Bird flu or avian influenza is a viral disease which affects the respiratory, digestive and/or nervous system of many species of wild birds and poultry. It is highly contagious among birds and it is a notifiable animal disease,” the council said.
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“It can also pose a threat to people and other animals in certain circumstances, but these types of infections are rare. It is very unusual for people to catch bird flu.”
Among the birds that nest, breed and find refuge on an island in the middle of The Lough are mute swans, mallard ducks, greylag geese, moorhens, egrets and various gulls.
The council advised anyone visiting The Lough not to touch sick or dead wild birds and not to handle bird feathers often found on the perimeter walkway around the lake. It has also urged people not to bring home any sick birds.
Visitors should also keep their pets away from sick and dead birds encountered at the site. Owners to keep dogs on a leash where sick or dead wild birds are present.
The council said it and the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) were providing advice to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which has responsibility for avian influenza testing.
The local authority and the CSPCA are carrying out intensive monitoring and surveillance of the birds present at The Lough. Protocols are in place to ensure the swift removal of sick or dead birds from the area.
However, the council said avian influenza could survive for several weeks in such an environment because the faeces of infected birds contained a high level of the virus.
It also said an area could remain infectious whether or not bird carcasses were removed.
