People at risk of exposure to avian flu on the Isle of Man have been invited to take up the offer of a flu vaccine.
Manx Care and the island’s public health directorate said it wanted to lower the risk of poultry workers and bird handlers getting human and avian flu at the same time.
The move would help prevent the creation of a new type of flu that spreads between people and which could be “potentially be very infectious”, the bodies said.
While no cases have been reported on the island, the risk is classed as the same as the UK because the virus is predominantly spread by wild birds.
The Isle of Man’s authorities have sought advice from the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation following a rise in the number of bird flu cases in UK, a Manx Care spokeswoman said.
The health care body confirmed those eligible included people undertaking bird culling, workers at poultry processing units, who have direct exposure to bird faeces, or those involved in collection of wild bird carcasses where the virus was suspected.
‘Potentially very infectious’
Manx Care said bird flu was a virus that caused disease in birds “but there is potential that it can be passed to humans”.
Since 2021 there have only been seven cases of humans contracting bird flu, and there has never been an instance of bird flu being passed from human to human in Europe or the UK.
But Manx Care said that “if they get human seasonal flu at the same time, the two viruses could mix in their bodies to make a new type of flu virus”, which could be “potentially be very infectious and cause serious illness in people”.
Those eligible for the flu vaccine can book via an online booking system or by contacting the vaccination team until 31 March.
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