The UK’s Health Security Agency said on Thursday it had detected an “unusual” human case of bird flu in southwest England, describing the risk to the general public as very low.
In an emailed statement, the agency said that the infected person had been “in very close and regular contact with a large number of infected birds,” adding that the person was “in good condition and is self-isolating.” He pointed out that all contacts of the patient were traced and there is no evidence of its spread.
“While the risk of avian influenza to the general public is extremely low, we know that some strains have the potential to spread to humans,” HSA chief scientist Isabelle Oliver said in the statement. “There is currently no evidence that this strain detected in the UK can spread from person to person, but we know viruses evolve all the time and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The agency said the UK had recently seen a large number of bird flu outbreaks among birds across the country, underlining the importance of monitoring them, as well as the health of anyone in close contact with infected birds.
original note:
UK discovers a rare human case of bird flu in southwest England
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