First human case of bird flu detected in the UK, raising concerns about mutated virus strain

Britain was today rocked by fresh bird flu fears after a human case was detected in England.

Health officials reported that an unidentified person from the West Midlands in the UK is suspected to have contracted the virus on a farm where they had close contact with many infected birds.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working quickly to control the spread of the virus by tracing all the contacts of the individual. This person is currently in good health and has been admitted to a specialized unit for High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID).

They were only caught after the health body carried out routine testing on people who had been in close contact with infected birds.

Bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza is rare and has only occurred a handful of times before in the UK. 

Symptoms of the virus mirror those of regular flu and Covid. It doesn’t spread easily between humans.

The strain carried by the infected Brit, H5N1, is the same that sparked world’s biggest ever bird flu outbreak in 2023.

Globally, the virus has affected over 200 million domestic birds, as well as numerous wild birds. It has also spread to mammals such as minks, foxes, raccoons, and bears.

A human case of avian flu has been detected in England — after warnings the virus could be mutating to become more transmissible to humans 

Culling of infected birds has begun in Britain, as experts attempt to stop the spread of the virus

But the risk to the wider public continues to be very low, the UKHSA said. 

Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza has only been documented very rarely and never in Europe or the UK.  

Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, said: ‘The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low despite this confirmed case. 

‘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.

‘Currently there is no evidence of onwards transmission from this case.

‘People are reminded not to touch sick or dead birds and it’s important that they follow Defra advice about reporting any suspected avian influenza cases.’

UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss added: ‘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 are being humanely culled, and cleansing and disinfection of the premises will be undertaken all to strict biosecure standards. 

The strain carried by the infected Brit, H5N1, is the same that sparked world’s biggest ever bird flu outbreak in 2023. Pictured above, a bird flu outbreak in Queens Park, Heywood, Rochdale in 2023

So far more than 60 confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection have been reported in 2024, following a widespread outbreak across bird and cattle farms in the United States

‘This is a reminder that stringent biosecurity is essential when keeping animals.

‘We are seeing a growing number of avian flu cases in birds on both commercial farms and in backyard flocks across the country. 

‘Implementing scrupulous biosecurity measures will help protect the health and welfare of your birds from the threat of avian influenza and other diseases.’

Meanwhile, Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, also said: ‘The safety of the public is paramount, and we are monitoring this situation closely.

‘The risk of wider or onward transmission is very low, however the UK remains prepared and ready to respond to any current and future health threats.

‘We recently added the H5 vaccine, which protects against avian influenza, to our stockpile as part of our preparedness plans.’

The wave of outbreaks comes just months after a panel of UK Government experts said the ongoing infections in American cattle had boosted the risk of human-to-human transmission to up to 35 per cent, compared to just five per cent previously.

Independent experts have also previously told MailOnline the threat of a new pandemic sparked by bird flu is low but ‘cannot be excluded’ as a possibility.

UK scientists tasked with developing ‘scenarios of early human transmission’ of bird flu have warned that 5 per cent of infected people could die if the virus took off in humans (shown under scenario three).  Under another scenario, the scientists assumed 1 per cent of those infected would be hospitalised and 0.25 per cent would die — similar to how deadly Covid was in autumn 2021 (scenario one). The other saw a death rate of 2.5 per cent (scenario two)

Alan Gosling (pictured), a retired engineer in Devon who kept ducks at home, caught the virus in early 2022 after his pets became infected 

In America, where there has been a sustained nationwide outbreak in poultry and cattle, there have been more than 60 human cases in recent months. 

An analysis in a December posted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its website found signs the virus detected in one patient’s throat had genetic changes that may lead to ‘increased virus binding’ to specific ‘cell receptors found in the upper respiratory tract of humans.’

These changes have not been found in birds, including in the backyard poultry flock thought to have infected the Louisiana patient initially.

Humans are unlikely to catch bird flu from eating poultry and game birds because it is heat-sensitive, and properly cooking the poultry will kill the virus. 

Usual symptoms in humans are high fever, a cough, sore throat, muscle aches and a general feeling of malaise. 

And just like with ordinary flu, it can quickly develop into serious respiratory illness and pneumonia.

Human infections occur when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or is inhaled. 

While this is the first human case of H5N1 in the current outbreak, Britain has seen people infected before.

Alan Gosling, a retired engineer in Devon who kept ducks at home, caught the virus in early 2022 after his pets became infected.

He later tested negative while he was in quarantine for nearly three weeks.