Bird Flu Outbreak Potentially Spreading Across Europe as Two More Cases Detected in UK
Health authorities in the UK have announced that two additional individuals have been diagnosed with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising concerns about a potential outbreak spreading across Europe. The announcement comes as part of a surveillance program that aims to detect possible animal to human infections in individuals exposed to infected birds.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the detections were made through enhanced surveillance of poultry workers, where a total of 144 individuals from eight infected premises have been tested. The agency has been increasing its surveillance measures for poultry workers following outbreaks of bird flu around the world.
Dr Meera Chand, the Deputy Director at UKHSA, emphasized that current evidence suggests the avian influenza viruses circulating in birds do not easily spread to humans. However, the virus can be transmitted to people who have close contact with infected birds. The surveillance program aims to monitor those who have been exposed to determine the associated risks.
“It can be difficult to distinguish whether the detections are due to contamination from the environment or actual infection, especially in individuals who have no symptoms,” Dr Chand explained. “Regardless, we will immediately initiate the appropriate public health response following any detection.”
The UKHSA is working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency to assess the risk to human health from avian influenza. Precautionary measures, including surveillance for severe disease in NHS Intensive Care Units, are being carried out at the current risk level for bird flu.
Bird flu is typically contracted through close contact with infected birds. In March, an 11-year-old Cambodian girl died shortly after being confirmed to have Type A H5N1 bird flu. It is believed that she was infected by poultry kept by her family, and there are indications that the virus had mutated.
Dr Erik Karlsson, who led the team that decoded the genetic sequence of the girl’s virus, explained that when these viruses enter a new host, they undergo certain changes that allow them to replicate and bind better to cells in the respiratory tract. These mutations are unlikely to occur in the affected individual but are more likely to exist within a “cloud” of viruses with random genetic changes inside birds.
“Just getting into a new host allows those one or two viruses in that cloud to survive better and become the dominant population,” Dr. Karlsson stated.
As further testing and surveillance continue, health authorities remain vigilant to contain and minimize the spread of bird flu.