Strict biosecurity may offer the best chance of preventing more cases of the highly-pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu, warned an award-winning Norfolk poultry vet.

Dr Henry Lamb was named the British Veterinary Association's Young Vet of the Year in November, in recognition of his work tackling the UK's worst-ever bird flu outbreak last winter.

The Attleborough-based vet said the next big threat to the country's poultry producers was the annual spring wild bird migration in mid to late February.

He told about 35 members and guests of Stalham Farmers' Club that the poultry industry must not drop its guard, as just 1g or a tiny speck of infected bird muck had the potential to kill as many as 500,000 fowl.

Since October 2021, there have been a total of 370 confirmed cases in Britain but fortunately only five cases since last October.

At this time last year, there were more than 100 cases in the country, he said. Good biosecurity has helped to contain the spread but everybody must keep up their guard, he added.

There was a prospect of a vaccine to protect flocks from H5N1, said Mr Lamb. The result of ongoing trials in France was awaited with keen interest across Europe, which has been hit very hard by what he called the "world's worst animal health epidemic".

Mr Lamb travelled to Europe this week for an update on the vaccine trials, but he said details were not yet known about the possible cost, and any potential vaccine might only protect against the current strain.

Mr Lamb has advised governments in India, Rwanda and also producers in the United States on avian flu.

He said that H5N1 has now been confirmed in South America, including cases in Bolivia, and it has been found in 47 US states.

He said ducks were particularly susceptible to this strain of bird flu, and the main duck farming centres in France had been hit particularly hard.

If a vaccine could offer protection, he thought high-risk fowl like ducks might be a priority ahead of other species.