First UK human bird flu case confirmed in the South West of England

A person in the South West of England has contracted bird flu, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

The risk to the wider public continues to be very low, the UKHSA said, but urged people not touch sick or dead birds.

In a statement, the health protection body 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.”

The UK has recently seen a large number of bird flu outbreaks among animals, with the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, issuing warnings to bird owners over hygiene.

On December 21, she said the UK faced its largest ever outbreak of bird flu with more than 60 cases confirmed across the country since the start of November.

Some strains of bird flu can pass from birds to people, but this is extremely rare, according to the UKHSA.

It usually requires close contact with an infected bird, so the risk to humans is generally considered very low.

Human-to-human transmission of bird flu is also very rare, the organisation said.

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.

The infected birds have all been culled.

Being a notifiable disease, The World Health Organization has been informed.