January 27, 2025

expert reaction to UKHSA announcement of a human case of avian flu detected in the UK

Irish scientists comment on a human case of Avian flu detected in the UK, as announced by UKHSA. 

Dr Connor Bamford, Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, said:

“Viruses that predominantly infect birds can – and do – jump into people where they can cause severe disease and even spread to those around you. We have numerous examples of cases of bird flu in people in the UK and globally so it can happen. Recently, most of these cases have not been linked to severe disease and there hasn’t been much evidence it can spread to others easily. The virus can jump to people who have contact with sick birds and do not take the required precautions. It is currently ‘bird flu season’ in Europe, UK and Ireland and we have already noted detections in wildlife in NI and ROI.

This is more risky than having no human infections but it is reassuring that it has been spotted. Individuals at risk (and those around them) will be given medical assistance and medicines to reduce the likelihood of passing the virus on. Ideally, we would not like this to happen in the future. 

This serves as another reminder of the risk that avian influenza poses to not just livestock and wildlife but to humans. If left unchecked and the virus is able to adapt to humans via more spillovers from birds to people occurring, or an outbreak in people happening, this could be very well become the next pandemic. 

This is a fantastic example of how monitoring of human and animals can protect everyone. Ireland and the UK should continue to invest in ways to track, and ensure any outbreaks have a low impact”

Declarations of interest:

Dr Bamford: “I have received grant funding for work on viruses, member of the UK Microbiology Society, I have received industry funding to attend scientific meetings”