LONDON, KOMPAS.TV – Health officials in the UK have identified a rare case of bird flu in a person, as the country battles the largest-ever outbreak of the virus among birds.
Transmission of bird flu from birds to humans is extremely rare and has previously only occurred in the UK, the UK Health Safety Board UKHSA said.
The infected individual, in southwest England, is said to be in “good” condition and is currently self-isolating, he added.
“The person contracted the infection from very close and regular contact with large numbers of infected birds, which they kept in and around their homes for long periods of time,” UKHSA said in a statement. /1/2022).
“All individual contacts, including those who visited the premises, have been traced and there is no evidence of spreading the infection to others.”
The agency noted the risk to the public at large from bird flu remains “very low” but warned people not to touch sick or dead birds.
Britain is culling about half a million birds in 2021 as it grapples with what Environment Secretary George Eustice has called the country’s “biggest ever” bird flu outbreak.
Alongside the culling, the UK government rolled out new rules in December requiring keepers to ensure all birds caught are indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to try to stem the spread of the virus.
However, health officials have raised concerns that wild birds migrating from mainland Europe during the winter months may carry the disease.
– .
