Case of bird flu confirmed in farm worker

A person working on a farm has contracted the human version of avian flu.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the individual “had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds”, but would not say where the farm was.

The person was “currently well and was admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease unit,” it said.

It also said the risk to the wider public “continues to be very low” and that bird-to-human transmission of this kind was rare.

UKHSA routinely swabs people who have been in close contact with infected birds and, after confirming the transmission, said there was no evidence that the person had passed it on to anyone else.

Nevertheless, it said it had traced everyone the person had been in contact with and offered them antiviral treatment.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “While avian influenza is highly contagious in birds, this is a very rare event and is very specific to the circumstances on this premises.”

She also said the farm had been thoroughly cleaned and that it was “a reminder that stringent biosecurity is essential when keeping animals”.

Since 2021 there have only been seven cases of humans contracting bird flu, and there has never been an instance of bird flu being passed from human to human in Europe or the UK.

Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said the government had recently added the H5 vaccine, which protects against avian influenza, to its stockpile of vaccines as a precaution.

The announcement came soon after the decision to place the whole of Shropshire into an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), following an outbreak of bird flu at a farm in the county.

This means anyone who has birds in Shropshire must house their animals.

This applies whether or not you have just one or two chickens in a back garden right up to large commercial flocks.

Alongside this move, the rest of England has also seen new bird flu measures put in place, though these are not as strong as those in Shropshire.

It means everyone with birds must now follow enhanced biosecurity measures. Including;

• Cleansing and disinfecting footwear and clothing.

• Disinfecting housing on a continuous basis.

• Minimising contact with wild birds.

• Keeping birds away from ponds and lakes.

At the site of the Shropshire outbreak, the killing and disposal of a million egg-laying birds at a farm just outside Wem continues.

In a statement, the Griffiths family, who run the farm, told the BBC the outbreak was “devastating news”.

Overall levels of bird flu have not reached the peak of recent years, but anyone with birds is asked to remain vigilant.

There is no risk to the public from eating poultry or eggs, but if more commercial egg-laying flocks are impacted, it could affect the price of eggs in the shops.