UK detects human case of bird flu, says wider risk remains low

British health authorities said on Monday they had detected a case of the H5N1 bird flu in a person in central England but added that the risk to the wider public remained "very low".

The person acquired the infection on a farm, where they had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds, the UK Health Security Agency said in a statement.

It said the individual was currently well and that authorities were tracing all known contacts of the person to offer antiviral treatment.


"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," UKHSA Chief Medical Adviser Susan Hopkins said.

Bird-to-human transmissions of avian influenza are rare in Britain although it has occurred a small number of times.

British authorities have detected cases of bird flu in poultry farms in recent months and have taken steps to cull all infected animals.