Bird flu: Human case of avian flu found in South West England

A human case of bird flu has been found in South West England in a UK first, officials have confirmed.

The patient, who kept birds, is isolating and there is currently no evidence of onward transmission.

Although seen elsewhere in the world, the strain of the bird flu identified in the infected person has never before been confirmed in a human in Britain.

The Health Security Agency (HSA) said it has contacted the World Health Organisation over the case but insists the risk to the public is low.

In a statement, it said: ‘Bird to human transmission of avian flu is very rare and has only occurred a small number of times in the UK previously.

‘The person acquired 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.

‘All contacts of the individual, including those who visited the premises, have been traced and there is no evidence of onward spread of the infection to anyone else. The individual is currently well and self-isolating.’

Bird flu, also known as avian flu, is a type of disease that spreads among birds.

While there is not believed to be a wider risk to the public, people are being urged not to touch sick or dead birds.

The case was detected after the Animal and Plant health Agency (APHA) identified an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in a flock of birds.

As a precaution, the HSA swabbed the person involved and detected low levels of the the virus.

Further lab analysis showed that the virus was the ‘H5’ type found in birds – the first time this particular strain has infected a human in the UK.

However, officials have been unable to confirm if it is a H5N1 infection (the strain that is currently circulating in birds in the UK).

The infected birds have all been culled and WHO has been notified as a precaution, the HSA said.

Professor Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, 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 has been hit by a record outbreak of bird flu that has led to 500,000 captive birds being culled in recent months.

In the last two months outbreaks in the South West were reported near Newent in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, Buckfastleigh in Devon, Swindon in Wiltshire and Pokesdown in Dorset.

An avian influenza prevention zone was declared across the UK in November, requiring strict biosecurity measures and all birds to be kept indoors.

This was done due to concerns that wild birds migrating from mainland Europe during the winter are carrying the disease.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, has issued warnings to bird owners over hygiene.

She said: ‘All infected birds have been humanely culled, and cleansing and disinfection of the premises is underway.

‘This is a reminder that stringent cleanliness when keeping animals is important.’

The coronavirus pandemic has heightened concern about disease spreading from animals to humans.

But experts say the risk to human health from avian influenza remains very low, and there is a low food safety risk.

Prof Mike Tildesley, professor in infectious disease modelling at the University of Warwick, said: ‘This is clearly going to be big news but the key thing is that human infections with H5N1 are really rare and they almost always occur as a result of direct, long term contact with poultry,’ he said.

‘There has never been any evidence of sustained human to human transmission of H5N1 so at present I wouldn’t consider this to be a significant public health risk.’

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