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Regiment ends sanitisation efforts in West Bay
The Cayman Islands Regiment says it has now completed sanitisation operations at the affected farm in West Bay, where the island’s first cases of avian flu were detected.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Hilary Wolf and Department of Agriculture Director Wilbur Welcome joined Compass News’ Kayla Karim to discuss the latest on the bird flu outbreak.
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Cayman Compass
Bird flu strain in Cayman said to be highly contagious
Local farmers are being warned that the current strain of avian flu that was identified in a farm on Cemetery Road in West Bay on 28 Nov. is both highly contagious and often fatal for domestic birds.
At a meeting with farmers on 2 Dec., Department of Agriculture Senior Veterinary Officer Dr. Tiffany Chisholm confirmed that the virus detected in Cayman is H5N1, describing it as one of the most dangerous forms of avian influenza because of how quickly it spreads through flocks and the high death rates associated with infection.
She said testing was carried out locally through a system established in collaboration with the Health Services Authority, allowing the strain to be identified without sending samples overseas.
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