Newcastle disease affects chickens and other captive and wild birds.

Humans aren’t normally affected, but people in direct contact with infected birds may develop a very short-term eye infection, which passes without treatment.

The disease was last confirmed in Great Britain in 2006.

Latest situation

If you keep poultry or birds, you must keep a close watch for, and report, any signs of Newcastle disease.

There’s an increased risk of the disease in the UK, with cases reported in 2018 in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. You can read our assessment of the risk.

How to spot Newcastle disease

As the disease develops affected birds may show some of the following signs:

• respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling
• nervous signs characterised by tremors and paralysis and twisting of the neck
• unusually watery faeces (diarrhoea) that are yellowish-green in colour
• depression
• lack of appetite

Affected hens may also suddenly produce fewer eggs. Eggs that are laid may be soft-shelled.

The disease may lead to intense clinical signs, with a sudden onset leading to likely death. Or it may have a lesser affect, with breathing problems and lower egg production the only detectable clinical signs.

How Newcastle disease is spread

The disease is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids of infected birds, especially their faeces.

It can also be spread indirectly through people and objects that have been in contact with infected birds, or their excretions (such as faeces). Objects that can carry the disease include:

• vehicles
• equipment
• clothing
• water and feed

The disease can spread from wild to kept birds. Pigeons may carry pigeon paramyxovirus, which can cause Newcastle disease in kept birds.

Preventing and controlling Newcastle disease

You can help prevent the disease by:

• vaccinating your animals against the disease – talk to your vet for advice
• practising strict biosecurity on your premises

If you report suspicion of Newcastle disease, APHA vets will investigate.

If the disease is confirmed, the outbreak will be controlled in line with the contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases and the control strategy for notifiable avian diseases will be implemented.

Further information on prevention and control

Controls to prevent disease

What happens when a notifiable disease is suspected or confirmed

Legislation on Newcastle disease

Newcastle disease is covered by the Diseases of Poultry (England) Order 2003.

It is possible, although rare, for a bat infected with rabies to pass the disease on to other mammals, including humans.

The most recent case of rabies in a bat in Great Britain was in July 2018.

Signs that a bat may have rabies

Infected bats may not show any signs of rabies. Infection can only be confirmed in a laboratory.

But clinical signs in bats may include:

• behaviour changes: infected animals are prone to more aggression
• disorientation and difficulty flying (infected bats may be injured as a result)
• eyes taking on a staring expression

How rabies is spread

Rabies is present in the saliva of infected bats and is usually spread by the bite of an infected bat.

The disease can also be spread if the saliva of an infected animal gets into open wounds or mucous membranes such as the nostrils, mouth and lips, eyelids and ears.

Risk to humans from infected bats

Humans can catch rabies from a bat, although this is very unusual as the disease is very rare among bats in Great Britain.

In humans symptoms of the disease include:

• anxiety, headaches and fever in early stages
• spasms of the swallowing muscles making it difficult or impossible to drink
• breathing difficulties

There are vaccinations against rabies, and the disease can normally be prevented if you are treated soon after exposure. But once signs of rabies appear, there is no treatment. Past human cases have been fatal.

Read the NHS guide to rabies for more information about the disease in humans.

How to avoid catching rabies from a bat

You should be vaccinated against rabies if you regularly handle bats.

If you have not been vaccinated against the disease:

• assume that all bats are possible carriers of rabies
• avoid touching bats, living or dead, whenever possible
• if you must touch a bat, follow the Bat Conservation Trust guidance and wear thick gloves to avoid being bitten or scratched

If you are bitten or scratched by a bat

If you suspect rabies in a bat

If you suspect rabies in a bat or you see abnormal behavior in a bat contact APHA for help.

APHA vets will investigate and may submit the bat for testing to see whether the signs were caused by rabies.

If you find a dead bat

If you find a dead bat:

• do not directly handle the bat if possible
• if you have to touch the bat follow the Bat Conservation Trust guidance and use thick gloves
• follow the Bat Conservation Trust guidance on what to do with the dead bat

If your pet finds a bat

It is possible, although very rare, for infected bats to pass rabies to other animals including pets.

If your pet catches a bat, keep your pet under observation.

If your pet falls sick or starts behaving unusually, you must contact your vet immediately. Your vet will tell APHA if he or she suspects your pet has rabies.

Monitoring rabies in bats in Great Britain

APHA tests dead bats submitted by the public to monitor how widespread the disease is in Great Britain.

Only 21 infected bats have been found in more than 15,000 tests since 1986, so the risk of catching rabies from a bat is very low.

Site	Location	Dates
1	Newhaven, Sussex	1996
2	Carnforth, Lancashire	2002
3	Blackburn, Lancashire	2003
4	Staines, Surrey	2004
5	Abingdon, Oxford	2006
6	Craven Arms, Shropshire (3 cases)	2007, 2008 and 2014
7	Teddington, Surrey	2008
8	Linlithgow, West Lothian, SCOTLAND	2009
9	Newtown, Powys, WALES	2015
10	Skipton, Yorkshire	2016
11	Haydon Bridge, Northumberland	2016
12	Chesterfield, Derbyshire	2017
13	Peterborough, Cambridgeshire	2018
14**	Robertsbridge, East Sussex (5 cases)	2018
15	Rothbury, Northumberland	2018

** Once a positive case is confirmed at a site, we will not publicise further incidents there during the given year’s ‘bat season’ – May to September.

‘Notifiable’ diseases are animal diseases that you’re legally obliged to report to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), even if you only suspect that an animal may be affected.

Notifiable diseases can be:

• endemic – already present in the UK, such as bovine TB
• exotic – not normally present in the UK, such as foot and mouth disease

Some endemic and exotic diseases are zoonotic which means they can pass between animals and humans, such as rabies.

What happens if you suspect a notifiable disease

If you suspect an exotic notifiable disease:

1. Report it by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301.
2. APHA vets will investigate – they usually visit your premises and carry out an enquiry. The APHA duty vet will tell you what restrictions should be applied to your premises before the APHA veterinary inspector arrives.
3. If the APHA veterinary inspector suspects a notifiable disease, they will take samples for testing (this may involve killing the suspected animal before taking samples).
4. They put restrictions on your premises. This means you must at least stop moving animals susceptible to the disease on or off the premises. It can also include stopping the movement of anything that can transmit disease, like meat products, equipment or vehicles.
5. If certain diseases are suspected (particularly foot and mouth disease or African horse sickness) a temporary control zone will be introduced around your premises. This restricts the movements of animals susceptible to the disease.
6. Restrictions remain in place until the investigation is complete and an exotic notifiable disease is ruled out.

What happens if a notifiable disease is confirmed

If a notifiable disease is confirmed:

1. Action will be taken on the infected premises to reduce the risk of the disease spreading, including movement restrictions. For some diseases, like foot and mouth disease and African swine fever, this will include culling all susceptible animals. Premises are then cleaned and disinfected with strict rules on restocking.
2. The government investigates where the disease came from and whether it has spread.
3. The government puts restrictions on all premises where the disease is likely to have spread from or to (for example when animals have been moved).
4. Further restrictions in a wider area may be introduced, depending on the risk of the disease spreading. In the case of foot and mouth disease in particular, animal movements would be restricted throughout the country. For some diseases control zones are automatically applied. APHA will tell you what action to take – this depends on the nature of the disease and EU requirements.
5. The following activities that could spread disease may be banned:
   • hunting or shooting
   • animal gatherings (like shows)
   • exports

Controlling exotic notifiable diseases

Contingency plans outline how the government will manage an exotic notifiable disease outbreak:

• Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases for England
• United Kingdom contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals

How to prevent notifiable diseases

You can help prevent notifiable diseases by following:

• strict biosecurity practices
• rules on imports and exports
• rules on feeding to farmed livestock

Animals or birds spared from culling

For most notifiable diseases, there are legal powers to cull animals to prevent the spread of disease during an outbreak.

Certain animals and birds, including breeds at risk, may be spared from culling if this doesn’t compromise controlling the disease (this isn’t guaranteed).

Find out more about animals and birds that may be spared from culling.

Compensation when animals are slaughtered compulsorily

For some notifiable diseases, you may get compensation if your animals or birds are compulsorily culled.

Get notified about exotic disease outbreaks

You can get the latest news about exotic notifiable disease outbreaks from the APHA subscription service.