Risk to humans, though low, is of concern after at least 200 cases of infection in mammals detected worldwide
Avian flu surveillance is being ramped up in the UK after the detection of at least 200 cases of infection in mammals.is still very low, but that this risk would be monitored through increased genomic surveillance and targeted testing of people who had been exposed to the virus. Concern was also sparked by a recent outbreak of avian flu at a mink farm in Spain and a mass mortality of seals in the Caspian sea that is possibly linked to the infection.
Over the last two years, the UK has faced its largest outbreak of avian influenza, with more than 300 cases confirmed since October 2021 and with poultry farms all currently required to house birds indoors. “The species affected – foxes and otters – are known to scavenge,” said Dr Alastair Ward, of the University of Leeds. “In all likelihood, the affected individuals will have scavenged infected wild bird carcasses, which may have had very high viral loads. Such high exposure is likely to have overwhelmed the mammal’s immune system, resulting in infection.”
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