A person living in the south-west of England has caught bird flu, UK officials have confirmed.
Cases like this are extremely rare and the individual probably became infected from very close contact with a sick or dead bird.
Experts say there is no evidence of onward spread and all close contacts of the person are being monitored.
The individual is currently well and self-isolating, and the risk to the public is very low.
This comes after about one million birds have been culled to stop the spread of bird flu in Lincolnshire. The virus was first confirmed in Lincolnshire on 11 December and 12 outbreaks have so far been confirmed in the county. It comes amid England’s largest outbreak of the H5N1 virus, with 63 confirmed cases since November.
It also comes after Holland announced around 190,000 chickens on two neighbouring farms in the east of the Netherlands will be culled after the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus was detected on one of the farms, yeterday!
Avian flu, also known as bird flu, is a type of influenza that spreads among birds. The UK has recently seen a large number of outbreaks and incidents of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in birds across the country.
Human to human transmission of bird flu is very rare.
Some strains of bird flu can pass from birds to people but, again, is rare and requires close, prolonged contact.
First human case of H5 strain in the UK
Officials say the person in question got the infection from “very close, regular contact with a large number of infected birds, which they kept in and around their home over a prolonged period of time.”
The virus they caught is the H5 type that is found in birds, but it is not yet clear whether it is the same H5N1 strain that has been causing recent outbreaks in poultry that have then had to be culled.
This is the first human case of this strain in the UK, although there have been cases elsewhere globally. Being a notifiable disease, The World Health Organization has been informed.
Prof Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “While the risk of avian flu to the general public is very low, we know that some strains do have the potential to spread to humans and that’s why we have robust systems in place to detect these early and take action.
“Currently there is no evidence that this strain detected in the UK can spread from person to person, but we know that viruses evolve all the time and we continue to monitor the situation closely.
“We have followed up all of this individual’s contacts and have not identified any onward spread.”
The UK’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “We are seeing a growing number of cases in birds on both commercial farms and in backyard flocks across the country.
“We took swift action to limit the spread of the disease at the site in question, all infected birds have been humanely culled, and cleansing and disinfection of the premises is under way. This is a reminder that stringent cleanliness when keeping animals is important.”
Prof Ian Jones, who is an expert in viruses at the University of Reading, said there is no risk to chicken meat or eggs and no need for public alarm. [BBC1, BBC2, Reuters]
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You should really subscribe to QFiles. You will get very interesting information about strange events around the world.
bird flu, pig flu, flu flu flu its all made in the lab flu. kill one kill all kill big kill small
no stopping the death loving flu. Its in the genes and and that’s the clue the cure is the ONE that cures the flu.
That’s true about keeping a clean environment for birds. Also, wash with rubbing alcohol after disposing of dead birds. I put them in hole dug for a future tree, and compost the hole. Throw wood ashes from the fireplace in there, egg shells, swept dog hair, bones. Plant a tree, boom. Done deal.
Wouldn’t be surprised if the redchineseys and satanist homopedo cult are trying to create virus that will transfer from animal to human. Kill off all the ranchers, buy their ranchland and farms cheap, and then develop foods and crops with more posionous crap in them, as if it isn’t disgusting already!