WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A case of Influenza of avian origin (H5N1), widely known as bird flu, has been detected in a sheep in England.
The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer confirmed that the case was detected in a single sheep in Yorkshire following repeated positive milk testing.
While this is the first time this virus has been reported in a sheep, it is not the first time bird flu has been detected in livestock in other countries. There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation's livestock population, DEFRA said.
However, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer urged all livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of avian influenza following recent outbreaks.
The case was identified following routine surveillance of farmed livestock on a premises in Yorkshire where highly pathogenic avian influenza had been confirmed in other captive birds. The ewe tested positive for H5 antibodies in the blood, and her milk was positive for H5 RNA by polymerase chain reaction. The ewe had been showing clinical signs of mastitis, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, and Animal and Plant Health Agency said in a press release.
Defra introduced livestock surveillance on infected premises following the outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows in the United States.
All affected birds and the infected ewe were culled to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading further. Additional testing of the remaining flock of sheep at the premises, including the lambs of the affected ewe, returned negative results for the presence of avian influenza virus, according to DEFRA.
In line with the UK's international reporting requirements, this case will be reported to both the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the World Health Organisation.
Dr Meera Chand, Emerging Infection Lead at the UK Health Security Agency, said, 'Globally, we continue to see that mammals can be infected with avian influenza A H5N1. However, current evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses we're seeing circulating around the world do not spread easily to people - and the risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low'.
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