UK on alert after H5N1 bird flu spills over to sheep in world-first

In the UK, officials said further testing of the rest of the sheep's flock has found no other infections. The one infected ewe has been humanely culled to mitigate further risk and to "enable extensive testing." "Strict biosecurity measures have been implemented to prevent the further spread of disease," UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said in a statement. "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." While UK officials believe that the spillover has been contained and there's no onward transmission among sheep, the latest spillover to a new mammalian species is a reminder of the virus's looming threat. "Globally, we continue to see that mammals can be infected with avian influenza A(H5N1)," Meera Chand, Emerging Infection Lead at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said in a statement. In the US, the Department of ... Read full article.