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The bird flu outbreak in Britain has spread to mammals, raising fears the virus may be one step closer to reaching humans more widely. Despite the alarm, however, officials insist that the country it is still “a long way” from the flu behaving similarly to Covid.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) detected the H5N1 flu strain in five foxes and four otters in the UK since 2021. All are believed to have been infected by feeding on infected dead birds.

This, the experts say, would raise the possibility that the pathogen might acquire problematic mutations that allow it to spread much more easily between humans. For this reason, they warn that The spread of bird flu represents a “global risk” until it can be controlled.

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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported in December 2022 that Apha had tested 20 mammals and eight tested positive for bird flu. This latest figure rose to nine in 2023 following a fox in Powys, Wales was confirmed to be carrying the virus.

The teacher Ian Brown, Director of Science Services at Aphasaid to the BBC Radio 4 what the virus is “on the march” and that it is “almost remarkable” that a single strain is behind the increase in cases.

“We have recently detected events both here and around the world, evidence that this virus can, on certain occasions, jump to other species. However, to be clear, this is still essentially a bird virus, which wants to be in birds,” he said.

The infected mammals fed on birds sick or dead from bird flu and exposure to “high amounts of virus,” which is causing indirect infection, Brown said. “What we don’t have any evidence for is that it can pass from fox to fox or from otter to otter, so these are what we call dead-end infections,” he added.

For Brown, “this global spread is a concern”: “We need to globally look for new strategies, those international associations, to control this disease. If we don’t solve the problem worldwide, we’re going to continue to have that risk.”

He said authorities are monitoring the virus to determine if it might spread to humans. “We need to understand the consequences of this infection. Does it make the virus change by jumping its host? We are aware that those events can sometimes lead to that,” she expressed.

but as it is“we are a long way” from bird flu becoming a virus that can spread between humans in the same way as the covidsaid Professor Brown.

“This is still an overflow, but we must be vigilant, that’s why we are monitoring,” he said.

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In a December report, the UKHSA warned that the “rapid and consistent acquisition of the mutation in mammals may imply that this virus has a propensity to cause zoonotic infections,” meaning it might spread to humans, it said. MailOnline. Until now, There has only been one case of a British person becoming infected since the outbreak began in October 2021.

The Health Security Agency rated the risk to human health at level 3, meaning there is “evidence of viral genomic changes that provide an advantage for mammalian infection.”

Professor Brown said officials are “stepping up” testing between mammals to determine if it is spreading between animals other than birds. He is also carrying out improved analysis of the virus’s genome to make “clear and rapid assessments.”

“We remain vigilant and under constant review,” said the UK Health Security Agency authority.

The Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA Avian Influenza Incident Managersaid: “The latest evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses currently circulating in birds do not spread easily to people.”

“We remain vigilant for any evolving risk evidence and are working with partners across government and academia to keep this under constant review,” he said.

The UK has recorded a record number of bird flu cases since last winter, with almost 300 confirmed cases in England since the current outbreak began in October 2021. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher.

The warning regarding the spread of the virus between otters and foxes in the UK comes following a “worrying” outbreak among mink on a farm in Spain in October, which housed 52,000 animals, which were culled.

For decades, scientists have warned that bird flu is the most likely candidate to trigger the next pandemic.

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