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.
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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.
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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.
UK
David Fuller: Offences committed by hospital worker who sexually abused dozens of corpses ‘could happen again’
BBC director-general Tim Davie has said MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals” – but the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.
On Monday, it was revealed an independent review into “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace had upheld more than half of the allegations against him.
A few hours later, Wallace’s former MasterChef co-presenter, John Torode, said an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in the report as part of a review.
After the report was published, Wallace, 60, said he was “deeply sorry” for causing any distress, and never set out to “harm or humiliate”.
Torode, 59, said he had “no recollection of the incident” and said he “did not believe that it happened,” and said he was “shocked and saddened by the allegation”.
Mr Davie said the BBC’s leadership team would not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values,” while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the broadcaster where “powerful individuals” can still “make life for their colleagues unbearable”.
They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months, following an independent review into workplace culture.
Wallace, who was sacked from MasterChef last week, is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but employed by independent production company Banijay.
The corporation has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired or not.
BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA
News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came just hours before the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the child narrator of a Gaza documentary was the son of a Hamas official.
Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into the programme.
While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie acknowledged it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by “serious failings” in the making of the documentary.
The BBC boss acknowledged: “It was important that the BBC took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them,” and later in response to a question, called the documentary – Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone – “the most challenging editorial issue I’ve had to deal with”.
He went on: “The importance of fair balance reporting, the need for high-quality homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, I think has never, ever been greater. And I believe my leadership and the team I’ve assembled can really help the BBC thrive in that environment and very competitive environment.”
BBC Director-General Tim Davie. Pic: PA
BBC boss has chair’s ‘full support’
Despite a series of failings in recent months – including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury last month – Mr Davie insisted he can “lead” the organisation in the right direction.
When asked if he would resign, he replied: “I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.
“We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I’ve been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.”
He said the organisation was setting a “global standard” for media.
Mr Shah, reiterated his support for Mr Davie.
“Tim Davie and his team, and Tim in particular, has shown very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support.”
The report also revealed its top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart once again.
Meanwhile, Australian children’s cartoon Bluey proved a boon for the broadcaster, and was the most watched show in the US across all genres – with 55 billion minutes viewed.
The top 10 shows watched over Christmas 2024 were also all from the BBC.
Recent annual reviews have been overshadowed by the Huw Edwards scandal and allegations of a toxic environment around flagship show Strictly Come Dancing.
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The iconic Sycamore Gap tree “can never be replaced” but its stump is showing signs of life, the National Trust has said, as the two men who felled it face sentencing.
Adam Carruthers, 32, and Daniel Graham, 39, drove 30 miles through a storm from Cumbria to Northumberland on 27 September 2023 before felling the landmark in less than three minutes.
Prosecutors said their “moronic mission” caused more than £620,000 worth of damage to the tree and more than £1,000 worth of damage to Hadrian’s Wall, where it fell.
They took a wedge as a trophy, which has never been recovered, and seemed to revel in the media coverage, exchanging messages and voice notes about the story going “wild” and “viral”.
Footage of the moment the tree was felled was played during the men’s trial at Newcastle Crown Court, where they both denied but were found guilty of two counts of criminal damage.
Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham. Pic: Northumbria Police/PA
A picture of the tree taken hours before it was felled. Pic: CPS
In a victim impact statement read at their sentencing hearing, National Trust general manager Andrew Poad, said the “iconic tree can never be replaced”.
“While the National Trust has cared for it on behalf of the nation, it belonged to the people,” he wrote.
“It was a totemic symbol for many; a destination to visit whilst walking Hadrian’s Wall, a place to make memories, take photos in all seasons; but it was also a place of sanctuary – a calming, reflective space that people came to year after year.
“While what was lost cannot be replaced, the stump is showing signs of life, with new shoots emerging at the base – as the decades progress, there is hope that some may grow and establish.”
Mr Poad said the “outpouring of emotion” to the felling was “unprecedented”, with one message from a member of the public described it as “like losing a close family member”.
Pictures were shown in court of a “celebration room” in memory of the tree, including a note which says: “How dare he steal our JOY,” while another reads: “Nature at it’s best over 300 years. Humanity at its worst over one night”.
Mr Poad added: “The overwhelming sense of loss and confusion was felt across the world.
“When it became clear that this was a malicious and deliberate act the question was why anyone would do this to such a beautiful tree in such a special place, it was beyond comprehension.”
The pair were found guilty of criminal damage
Graham has a previous caution for theft after he cut up a “large quantity of logs using a chainsaw”, the court heard.
He also has convictions for violence including battery and public order offences, which were said to be “relationship-based”, while Carruthers has no previous cautions or convictions.
The tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a dip in the landscape, held a place in popular culture and was featured in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.
It also formed part of people’s personal lives, as the scene of wedding proposals, ashes being scattered and countless photographs.
A 6ft section of the trunk is now on public display at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, around two miles from where it once stood, while 49 saplings taken from the tree have been conserved by the National Trust.
Graham and Carruthers, who were once close friends, gave no explanation for why they targeted the tree, and since their arrests, they have fallen out and come to blame each other.
At their trial, Graham claimed Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as “the most famous tree in the world” and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure its circumference.
Carruthers denied this and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was “just a tree”.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the pair have now accepted they went on the mission in pre-sentencing reports.
But Carruthers claimed he was “drunk” and didn’t realise what happened until the next day, while Graham said it was “only when the blade made contact with the tree he realised it was serious,” the court heard.
Mr Wright added: “The court can be sure they were sober, prepared and planned to do exactly what they did.”
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