What you should know about bird flu in the UK – and its impact on humans
The UK has been declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) – and bird “gatherings” have been banned in England and Wales in response to rising cases of bird flu.
Strains of the virus have been reported in poultry and wild birds across the country – and one person working on a farm in the West Midlands.
Although there has only been one human case, the government has ordered five million doses of a bird flu vaccine to prevent further spread between humans.
Human-to-human transmission has not happened in the UK or Europe since bird flu first emerged in 1997, but experts warn each infection increases the risk of the virus adapting to human hosts – and causing a pandemic. Here is what you need to know.
What is avian flu – and how does it spread?
Avian flu (more commonly known as bird flu) is an influenza virus most common in wild birds and poultry. It can spread to mammals – and very rarely to humans.
It is spread through contact with infected birds, or other species, including through touching their droppings and bedding.
Humans can also catch the virus by killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), people who work with birds are most likely to contract it by breathing in dust and mist generated by infected birds – or touching infected equipment or machinery.
Symptoms in birds include sudden death, a swollen head, and closed or runny eyes. Mortality rates in chickens and other poultry are close to 100%.
Ducks, geese, and swans do not always show symptoms, which means they can spread the virus undetected. Scientists at the University of Glasgow recently found that horses were also asymptomatic for bird flu, sparking concerns the scale of the global outbreak could be higher than previously thought.
In humans, symptoms develop between three and five days after exposure and include:
- A high temperature;
- Headache and muscle aches;
- Coughing and shortness of breath;
- Diarrhoea and vomiting;
- Conjunctivitis;
- Chest pain;
- Bleeding from nose and gums.
It is different from seasonal influenza which infects humans each winter. This year the most common strains are A(H1N1) and A(H3N2).
Like seasonal influenza however, in humans it can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory problems, and sometimes death – particularly in vulnerable people.
How widespread is the UK outbreak – and beyond?
The current outbreak stretches back to 2020 when the virus spread widely across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Antarctica.
By 2021 and 2022 sea birds along the UK coastline were dying – and eventually the virus spread to non-wild birds – including poultry.
The current poultry outbreak began with the (HPAI) H5N5 strain being identified in England on 5 November last year – and the (HPAI) H5N1 strain 12 days later. There has now been one case of each confirmed in Scotland – and just over 30 of the latter in England.
Most cases are in the east of England – from Essex and Suffolk to Yorkshire. The West Midlands, Merseyside, parts of Cornwall, Rye in Sussex, and Flintshire in Wales have also been impacted.
Read more
Restrictions across England and Scotland
Nationwide US milk testing for bird flu in cows
Bird flu found in king penguins for first time
There has only been one human case in the UK. The patient is “currently well” and being treated at a high-consequence infectious disease unit to prevent further transmission, the government says. Their closest contacts have been given antiviral drugs.
Beyond the UK, a slightly different strain has spread to about 156 million birds in the US as well as jumping to dairy cows – closing bird and cattle markets in certain states.
Almost 70 human cases have been confirmed there, including one fatal one in Louisiana in January – in a patient over the age of 65. Another fatal case has been reported in Mexico, and a teenage girl in Canada became seriously ill from the virus last year but was discharged last month.
Human-to-human transmission is confined to a small number of cases in Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Bird flu could be spreading undetected
How likely is further human spread in the UK?
Although both strains are “highly pathogenic” – this only refers to the risk to birds – not humans.
And according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the risk to the general public is “very low”.
“For most people, it’s not a direct threat at the moment,” Professor Ed Hutchinson, professor of molecular and cellular virology at the University of Glasgow, told Sky News.
“Flu viruses can adapt to new host species – they do it far more than any other virus – but it’s still very hard for them to do,” he said. “As a result, new flu strains only jump into humans every few decades.”
This is because to infect a human and create a viral load large enough to spread to other humans, the virus needs to adapt in three ways.
First, it must attach itself to the sugar molecules on the surface of our cells, before it can infect them by interacting with molecules inside – and both these types of molecules are structured differently in humans and birds.
Finally, it needs to be able to fight off the immune system – and our immune systems operate differently to the ones birds have.
“So far it hasn’t been able to adapt enough to jump from human to human, so that’s good news,” Prof Hutchinson said.
“For the time being we’re only at the first step of what progression to a human adapted virus looks like.”
But, he stressed: “The virus is already doing a lot of the things that would count as early warning signs for a possible future pandemic – and every infection of a human is another opportunity for it to adapt.
“So it’s rightly being viewed with a lot of concern. But that does not mean it’s necessarily capable of causing a pandemic, and even if there is still time to intervene to reduce the risk of it doing so.”
How can we stop it spreading?
Birds are not vaccinated for bird flu in the UK and are scarcely given antiviral medication to prevent drug resistance.
The restrictions currently in place for bird owners largely work by segregating commercial, and domestic birds from wild flocks – as the virus is harder to monitor in wild populations.
Poultry farmers with cases are forced to cull most of their other livestock within a certain radius, which is devastating for livelihoods – and pushes up the price of eggs and other poultry products.
If you see a dead bird with any of the key symptoms – you should report it to the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) by phone or online. The British Trust for Ornithology (BNO) also has an online tracker people can use that monitors the virus’s spread in near-real time.
If possible, preventing pets from scavenging dead birds can help stop the spread – particularly waterfowl or seabirds as they are the main carriers.
Eating eggs or cooked poultry does not risk any spread as neither of them contain any of the living organisms flu viruses need to survive.
In the US where cows have become infected, the virus will only survive in milk that hasn’t been pasteurised – as heat kills it instantly.
What restrictions are in place?
All four UK nations are currently designated Avian Influenza Prevention Zones.
From pet birds to a commercial flock, owners are required to keep them away from wild birds, free from rodents or pests, and to disinfect their pens, clothing, and anything else that comes into contact with their birds, bedding, or faeces.
Movement of birds and human contact should be minimised – and all activity monitored, the guidance adds.
People who own more than 50 birds must have government-mandated disinfectant foot dip at all entry and exit points.
Members of the public are banned from feeding wild game birds within 500m of any premises with more than 500 poultry or captive birds (kept as pets or in zoos).
In the East of England and Shropshire, stricter restrictions require all birds to be kept inside.
Any cases of highly pathogenic bird flu trigger a 3km (1.9-mile) protection zone and 10km (6.2-mile) surveillance zone around them.
As of midday on 10 February in England and Wales, bird “gatherings” of ducks, geese, swans, pheasants, partridge, quail, chickens, turkeys, and guinea fowl are banned.
These include bringing birds together for fairs, markets, sales, exhibitions – or transporting a group from different premises together.
Assisted dying cases would not need to be signed off by a High Court judge, the MP behind a new bill has proposed.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is expected to bring forward amendments to her proposal so a multi-disciplinary panel of experts will examine cases and have the power to grant permission for assisted death.
Three-member panels would be chaired by a retired High Court judge, King’s Counsel or a person with similar qualifications – and their decisions could “if required” be reviewed by the High Court.
In the initial version of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was backed by MPs in November, a High Court judge would have to approve requests for assistance after assent from two doctors.
Ms Leadbeater has described the amended plan as a “judge plus” system, arguing that it strengthens safeguards against pressure or coercion as it gives an “enhanced role for professionals such as psychiatrists and social workers”.
However assisted dying critics say safeguards have been watered down, with Tory minister Danny Kruger calling the change “a disgrace”.
Labour MP Diane Abbott said the bill was “rushed, badly thought out legislation” which “needs to be voted down”, while former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said “even the weak safeguards that existed are being dropped”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Opinions remain divided after assisted dying vote
The proposal will be voted on by a committee of MPs who will begin going through the bill line by line on Tuesday.
The committee, selected by Ms Leadbeater, has a 14-9 majority in favour of assisted dying based on November’s vote.
‘There’s a role for other experts to play’
In an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky’s Politics Hub, filmed on Monday afternoon, Ms Leadbeater was challenged about whether a High Court judge would be specifically required in all cases.
“I think there’s a role for other experts to play,” she said and referred to expert evidence politicians have been hearing about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
“I think what came through in the evidence was the need for a multidisciplinary approach. That’s something I’m giving serious consideration to.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
How did MPs vote on assisted dying?
“I think the legal oversight is really important, but I think that multidisciplinary approach could actually enhance the bill even further,” she added.
Read more from Sky News:
Parliamentary bar re-opens after spiking claim
Farage claims Labour MPs will be ‘getting scared’
The new proposals would also involve the creation of a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commission to oversee all applications, chaired by a High Court judge or senior former judge.
Cases would be referred to multi-disciplinary panels which can grant approval.
The panel is tasked with ensuring people have the capacity to make the decision without pressure or coercion.
The bill also requires two independent doctors to submit reports on each person applying for permission to die.
In January, learning disability charity Mencap warned that discussions around the option of assisted dying might risk pushing “people in a course that they don’t, they may not want to go down”.
Neighbours have been left in “shock” and fear after the sudden deaths of a popular British couple in rural France.
Dawn and Andrew Searle, who have not yet been officially named by French authorities, moved to the hamlet of Les Pesquies, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in southern France, around a decade ago.
The couple, who are in their 60s, are believed to have been found dead by a German friend who lives nearby, after Mr Searle did not turn up for one of their regular walks.
Andrew and Dawn Searle’s home
Ms Searle’s son, the country musician and former Hollyoaks star Callum Kerr, said in a statement posted online that he and his sister, Amanda Kerr, and Mr Searle’s two children, Tom and Ella Searle, were grieving.
Investigators are reportedly looking at whether the British couple were killed during a burglary, but all lines of enquiry, including murder-suicide or potential links to Mr Searle’s previous work as an organised crime financial investigator in the UK – are open.
A neighbour who knew them very well told Sky News they were “very happy people, joyful, very nice and would talk to people even if they didn’t know them. They always had a smile on their face.”
Ms Searle’s body was reportedly found outside their home, naked, with jewellery found scattered nearby, while Mr Searle’s body was discovered inside the house and had been gagged, according to local media.
There was little sign of their deaths at their home in the idyllic village on Monday, apart from the yellow and red Gendarmerie tape still on the white gate.
Police at the scene. Investigators are reportedly looking at whether the British couple were killed during a burglary
Locals described them as “good neighbours” who would often be seen walking their two dogs.
“Each year in September they would do this big dinner with all the village and invite everyone. They were very nice people,” said a woman who lived nearby.
“It’s very sad, it’s tragic. It’s a very low-key village, everybody gets along with each other and everybody’s in shock right now, they’re surprised.
“It’s scary too. The newspapers are saying possibly it’s because of what he used to do as a job. Here locally, nobody would hold grudges.”
The couple lived near Villefranche-de-Rouergue Aveyron in southern France
A LinkedIn profile in his name says he retired in 2015 after working for Barclays and Standard Life, and was “enjoying life in rural France”.
His page talks about having “over 20 years experience specialising in Financial Crime Prevention (AML, Fraud and Anti-Bribery) with a high profile in the industry and an extensive network of contacts”.
Another woman said she was about to buy a house in the hamlet but is now having second thoughts, adding: “I don’t feel safe here anymore”.
A postman said there was a big UK expat community in the area, with around 20 British people on his round.
The Searles have lived in the village permanently for 10 years and are said to be very integrated with the community.
“They would enjoy life, they would travel and sometimes go home as well,” a neighbour said.
Read more on Sky News:
Who benefits from Trump’s latest tariffs?
Police stop Ed Sheeran busking
Monkey ’caused nationwide power outage’
The mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, who also lives in Les Pesquies, previously told broadcaster France 3 the deaths were “something criminal, a homicide very clearly”.
However, the public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said that while both “died violent deaths… all hypotheses remain open” while investigations continue.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway