Health officials in the United Kingdom have identified a rare case of bird flu per person this Thursday (6), at which time the country is facing its biggest virus.
According to the UK Healthcare Agency (UKHSA), bird flu is extremely rare and can only be transmitted to humans on a small scale.
Authorities also said the victim was “well” in the southwest UK and was self-isolated. “The person in question became infected through very close and regular contact with a large number of infected birds in and around their home for a long time,” UKHSA said in a statement.
“All contacts of the individual, including those who visited the facility, have been identified and there is no evidence that the infection has spread to anyone else.” The agency noted that the risk of bird flu to the general public was “very low,” but warned people not to touch sick or dead birds.
Britain has killed nearly half a million birds in 2021, fighting what Environment Secretary George Eustis called the “biggest” bird flu outbreak.
In addition to being killed, last December, the government issued new rules requiring guards to ensure that all captive birds are kept indoors and to follow strict life-saving measures to control the spread of the virus.
However, officials are concerned that wild birds migrating from the European continent during the winter months could spread the disease.
Ducks, geese and swans are among the wild bird species known to be affected, while many other birds of prey have died.
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