Very rare case of bird flu detected in south-west England; UK govt reports incident to WHO

The United Kingdom's (UK) Health Security Agency announced on January 6 that an extremely 'rare' case of bird flu has been identified in a person in southwest England. Human-to-human transmission was neither suspected nor predicted because the subject had been in close contact with diseased birds. Moreover, the agency claimed that avian flu is difficult to contract.

"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 agency said in a statement.

According to Britain's Health Security Agency and countless other medical experts, the H5N1 avian flu or bird flu virus seldom infects people, and human-to-human transmission is very infrequent. The H5N1 virus, which causes the majority of cases of avian flu, is causing the greatest outbreak in England's history. According to BBC, England has reported 63 confirmed instances since November, with at least a million birds slaughtered, largely at poultry farms.

'People should not touch sick or dead birds'

"People should not touch sick or dead birds," the UK Health Security Agency emphasised. According to BBC, while the human infected with the illness had an H5 strain, it was unclear on Thursday whether it was the same H5N1 strain that had been generating the outbreaks that prompted the culling.

The British government has issued a warning to bird owners about an outbreak among wild birds and has reported this incidence to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Christine Middlemiss, the United Kingdom's chief veterinary officer, in a statement released by the security agency, stated, "While avian influenza is highly contagious in birds, this is a very rare event and is very specific to the circumstances on this premises. 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."

(With inputs from agencies)

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