A PENSIONER with avian flu says he contracted it while shielding from Covid – to protect his flock of ducks.
Alan Gosling, 79 years old, has barely left his home since his first confinement in March 2020 because he fears contracting the coronavirus will force him away from his herd.
2
2
But they were destroyed anyway, and he said, “They were my best friends and I lost them.”
Grandfather, the first Englishman to contract a deadly bird flu, lived with 20 wild Muscovy ducks in his small riverside cottage.
Yesterday we talked about how he was found to have bird flu when investigators wound him up after his flock tested positive and was culled on New Year’s Day.
Lab tests show that Alan is infected with the H5 strain of bird flu, most likely H5N1, but he feels fine.
Speaking after being isolated at his home in Buckfastleigh, Devon, the divorced father-of-three told The Sun: “I stayed because if I came down with Covid, no one would take care of them.
“Just me. I thought they were going to die. Then they went on and said anyway they’re going to kill them all.”
Symptoms of bird flu:
Call your GP or NHS 111 if you are experiencing any symptoms of bird flu and have visited an area affected by avian flu in the past 10 days.
The main symptoms of bird flu can come on very quickly and include:
- very high temperature or feeling hot or shivering
- muscle aches
- headache
- cough or difficulty breathing
Other early symptoms may include:
- diarrhea
- diseases
- stomachache
- chest pain
- Bleeding nose and gums
- conjunctivitis
It usually takes three to five days for the first symptoms to appear after you are infected.
Within days of symptoms appearing, more severe complications such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome can develop.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17257711/oap-bird-flu-protect-ducks/ OAP with avian flu says he caught it while shielding from Covid – to protect his ducks
