Human Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed In England

A farm worker in England has tested positive for H5N1 avian flu in what’s thought to be the second human case in the country.

The person contracted the illness from a farm in the West Midlands. According to authorities, they had been in close contact with infected birds, and the risk to the general public remains “very low.” The last confirmed human case of bird flu in England was in 2022.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the individual in question is “currently well” and has been admitted to a specialized infectious disease unit for care.

“The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low despite this confirmed case,” said Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, in a statement. “We have robust systems in place to detect cases early and take necessary action, as we know that spillover infections from birds to humans may occur.”

The rising threat of bird flu

A farm worker in PPE vaccinating birds against bird flu — Adobe Stock There is a chance that bird flu could cause the next pandemic

Just days before the human case was confirmed, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer ordered the whole of England to be covered by an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) from noon on Saturday, January 25. The move “will require keepers to conduct enhanced biosecurity to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.”

Stronger measures are in place in other parts of the country. In Shropshire, which is located in the West Midlands, all bird keepers are currently required to house birds to decrease their chances of catching the disease from wild birds. Similar rules have also been introduced in other parts of England, including Yorkshire, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire.

Bird flu is rare in humans, but cases have been growing. In the US, there have been 66 confirmed cases, including one death from the disease. Most of the cases have been seen dairy farm workers, as the illness has spread to cows in a number of states.

Experts have long warned that bird flu could mutate to spread among humans, which could mark a new pandemic. Robert Redfield, who was director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Covid-19 pandemic, said last June that “it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic.”