A undivided sheep on a Yorkshire farm has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu , the UK ’s Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed . The detection was made during unremarkable surveillance after birds on the farm had become infected , but it mark off the first time the virus has been found in a sheep .

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is the virus behind irruption of bird flu that have been strike USfarming communitieshard sinceearly 2024 , as well as untamed bird and poultry populations across the world .

In plus to the marked wallop on poultry farming , and thedownstream economic hitfor consumers , one of the most pertain things about this virus is its ability to alternate from bird into mammal . accord to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC ) , as of March 18 , 989 dairy oxen herds had been impacted across 17 US state of matter . Up to now , spillover eventson this plate have not been seen in Europe .

The detecting of H5N1 in the Milk River of a sheep on a farm in England will be a concerning development for authorities , but it ’s important to note that at this point only one animal is known to have been infect . The sheep in question has been humanely culled , the UK Government confirmed in astatement .

“ We have confirmed the detecting of influenza of avian blood line ( H5N1 ) in a individual sheep on a farm in Yorkshire . rigorous biosecurity measures have been implemented to foreclose the further spread of disease , ” said Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss .

“ While the risk to livestock remain low , I barrack all beast owners to ensure conscientious cleanliness is in place and to cover any star sign of transmission to the Animal Plant Health Agency immediately . ”

give therangeofmammal metal money – includingdomestic cats – that have been shown to be vulnerable to H5N1 infection , it ’s natural to be worried about the risk to humans . In the US , where this virus has been disperse more widely , the CDC has so far confirmed 70 human casing , most of which were associated with lineal striking with dairy cows .

Importantly , they say that so far there ’s no evidence of human - human transmission . However , three event in veterinarians trigger off some headache when the seed of their infection could not be identified , suggesting the disease could have also beenspreading silentlywith few to no symptoms in some cases .

“ Current evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses we ’re seeing circulating around the existence do not distribute well to citizenry – and the risk of avian flu to the ecumenical public remains very low , ” allege Dr Meera Chand , Emerging Infection Lead at the UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA ) .

Another worry smother the food supplying – H5N1 has been detected incow ’s milkand now sheep ’s Milk River , as well asbeef , although that specific substance never entered the human intellectual nourishment supply . gratefully , as regard the milk , there ’s a time - honored way of ensure that it is safe to drink : pasteurization . And in world-wide , with proper cooking and preparation methods that are required to keep all foodborne illnesses , H5N1 spread via food is not think to be a serious risk .

“ Our advice remains that bird flu pose a very humbled food rubber danger to UK consumer since the H5N1 virus is not normally air through food . We continue to monitor the situation nearly and will tax any emerge information to continue to ensure UK food is dependable , ”   said Chief Scientific Advisor at the Food Standards Agency Robin May .

TheH5N1 situation – as well as the virus itself – carry on to evolve , and wellness assurance are monitoring ontogenesis around the creation . That ’s why this transmission in a sheep was picked up in the first place .

While people will intelligibly be worried to hear about the computer virus make moves into new mammal species in another country , the hazard to people is mainly restrict to those whose work brings them into stuffy contact with animals , and local health authorities have issuedadviceon how they can advantageously protect themselves .

This shell underscores the importance of close surveillance and the rapid implementation of biosecurity measures , which are going tocontinue to be essentialto keep Bronx cheer flu outbreaks under control .