Summer surge in avian influenza cases worries UK poultry farmers

Poultry farmers in the United Kingdom are increasingly concerned about the rising number of avian influenza cases in the middle of summer. Bird flu was traditionally considered a winter or early spring disease, but now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has reported 8 new cases on commercial premises since the end of June, despite temperatures exceeding 30°C. Cases of the virus across the UK Over the last few weeks, highly pathogenic avian influenza