Page 34 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1128

Londra Gazete, 20 October 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 7

Bird flu ‘prevention zone’ declared

across Britain

A national bird flu “prevention help protect their flocks from the
zone” has been declared by the UK threat of avian flu”.
government as the country contin- “Implementing the highest lev-
ues to grapple with the worst out- els of biosecurity measures on
break of the disease ever recorded. farms is the most effective way to
At least three million birds have reduce the risk of disease spread-
already been culled by farmers and ing within flocks,” the government
landowners due to the spread of said.
the disease, which has also taken The introduction of the AIPZ
a heavy toll on populations of en- comes after 190 cases of bird flu Manufacturers call for sales
dangered wild birds. have been confirmed across the
The government said new Avian UK since late October 2021, with ban on laughing-gas
Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) over 30 of these confirmed since
rules will come into force from the beginning of the month.
midday on Monday requiring all The East of England has been A ban is urgently needed to Some of those who misuse the is unlawful to supply nitrous ox-
bird keepers in Great Britain to particularly badly hit with out- stop people buying and misusing substance - sometimes referred ide for its psychoactive effects,
follow “strict biosecurity measures breaks in poultry and captive birds. laughing gas, manufacturers say. to as "hippy crack" - inhale it via with offenders potentially facing
There have also been outbreaks in The Psychoactive Substances a balloon or use a dispenser or a maximum sentence of seven
the southwest and in wild birds at Act already outlaws the knowing "cracker". years in prison.
multiple sites across the country. or reckless supply of nitrous ox- Heavy regular use can lead to a "Given concerns about the use
The UK Health Security Agency ide for inhalation. vitamin deficiency that can cause of nitrous oxide by young peo-
said the risk to public health from But the British Compressed serious permanent nerve damage ple, the former home secretary
the virus was “very low”, and the Gases Association has now writ- and lasting paralysis. sought advice from the independ-
Food Standards Agency advises ten to new Home Secretary Suella But inhaling the gas directly ent Advisory Council on the Mis-
that avian influenzas pose a very Braverman, asking for a ban on from a large canister is particu- use of Drugs (ACMD) last year.
low food safety risk for consum- all direct consumer sales. larly dangerous and can be fa- "When the ACMD responds, the
ers. Properly cooked poultry and After cannabis, nitrous oxide is tal because it is under such high government will consider the ad-
poultry products, including eggs, the most commonly misused sub- pressure and comes out extreme- vice carefully."
are safe to eat, it said. The govern- stance among 16- to 24-year-olds ly cold, which can: damage the The ACMD is considering
ment also said due to the contin- in England. throat and lungs, halt breathing whether the gas should fall under
uing risk posed by the disease “a Hospitals and dental practices and slow the heart to a dangerous the Misuse of Drugs Act, which
mandatory housing requirement also use big cannisters of it as an level. covers to substances such as co-
in the AIPZ may arise” in future. anaesthetic patients inhale. A Home Office official said: "It caine, cannabis and sleeping pills.