As the number of calls to the Department of Agriculture's lo-call bird flu line continued to rise, with 80 yesterday alone, it has issued guidelines to the public and its own staff on handling dead birds.
"People should be advised not to touch their face after handling dead birds, and should take normal hygiene precautions," said the circular. "The public may be reassured by the fact that no cases of H5N1 have been reported in Ireland. Furthermore, no human cases of H5N1 have been associated with handling dead wild birds," it added.
In guidelines to staff on the processing of calls from the public, the circular said callers should be asked to identify themselves, to provide a contact telephone number and a precise location of the dead bird or birds.
It said that in the case of a single bird death report of the high-risk species of waterbirds and gulls, it should be investigated where feasible.
"Where more than three dead birds of the same species, or more than five dead birds of different species, are found at the same location, this is considered to be a multiple die-off. We already have a procedure in place for investigating unusual mortalities in wild birds of any species," it continued.
It said that injured or sick birds reported to it should not be brought to the district veterinary offices or regional veterinary laboratories, but to a private veterinary practitioner.
The EU Commission has identified 15 wild bird species which present a higher risk of avian flu, of which the following 11 are of relevance to Ireland:wigeon, gadwall, teal, mallard, northern pintail, shoveler, pochard, tufted duck, lapwing, black-headed gull and common gull.
To this list, the Department of Agriculture has added all swan and goose species.
Avian flu: news at a glance
IRAN: The number of confirmed deaths from the potentially deadly strain of bird flu, H5N1, rose to 94 yesterday when the WHO said a man had died from the disease in Iran.
SWITZERLAND: Confirmation that the death was caused by the bird flu came as Switzerland said a bird found dead in Geneva last week had died from the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, the federal veterinary office said.
AUSTRIA: Austria confirmed H5N1 in two chickens and three ducks in an animal sanctuary in Graz.
BULGARIA: Bulgaria announced H5N1 found in a wild swan in wetland near Romania.
GERMANY: Germans in areas hit by bird flu have been told to keep their cats indoors and their dogs leashed after the discovery of a dead cat infected with H5N1.
GREECE: Greece has reported 17 cases of H5N1.