Bird flu symptoms in humans after case confirmed in UK

After cases of bird flu skyrocketed last week, a rare human case of avian flu has been confirmed in England.

The case was reported today (January 27) by the the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which said the person in the West Midlands was infected after “close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds” on a farm.

Strict restrictions were placed on the whole of England and Scotland earlier this week to try to slow the spread of bird flu.

The national Avian Influenza Prevention Zone came into force at noon on Saturday (January 25) which made it a legal requirement for bird keepers to follow strict rules to protect flocks from avian flu.

The bird flu, also known as avian influenza, was of the H5N1 strain, which experts say is different to the strains circulating in the US.

Despite the confirmed case, the risk of bird flu to the general public remains “very low,” according to Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA. But is there a risk of onward transmission and should we be worried?

Bird flu, also known as avian flu, is a form of the influenza virus that spreads amongst birds and, in rare cases, humans. The flu is highly contagious among birds.

Most strains of avian flu don’t affect humans, but the H5N1 strain – which was first detected in humans in 1997 – has led to human infections and resulted in a number of deaths worldwide.

It spreads rapidly among bird populations through direct contact, faeces or contaminated feed and water. Following an outbreak, it is often the policy to cull all domestic birds, infected or not, to limit the spread. But wild birds play a role in spreading the virus far across a region.

In humans, the NHS says avian flu is spread by close contact with an