Bird flu detected in sheep in UK for 1st time

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A case of H5N1 bird flu or influenza has been detected in a sheep in Britain for the first time, the government said Monday.

The UK’s chief veterinary officer confirmed a case in a single sheep in Yorkshire, northern England following repeat positive milk testing.

"The case was identified following routine surveillance of co-located livestock on a premises where avian influenza had been confirmed in captive birds," the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said in a statement.

The department has introduced livestock surveillance on infected premises following the outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows in the US.

The infected sheep has been humanely culled to enable extensive testing while further testing in the remaining flock of sheep at the premises was undertaken by the avian influenza national reference laboratory at the Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge laboratory.

The statement noted that no further bird flu infection was detected in the remaining flock and this remains a single case in a mammal detected on the premises.

It added that there is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation’s livestock population.

"While the risk to livestock remains low, I urge all animal owners to ensure scrupulous cleanliness is in place and to report any signs of infection to the Animal Plant Health Agency immediately," said Christine Middlemiss, the UK chief veterinary officer.

The Health Security Agency has said that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low, but people should not touch any dead or sick wild birds they find.