Two poultry workers test positive for bird flu

Two poultry workers successful England person tested affirmative for vertebrate flu, though determination are nary signs of human-to-human transmission, the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Both radical were known to person precocious worked connected an infected poultry workplace and person since tested negative.

Neither idiosyncratic experienced symptoms of avian influenza, with some cases recovered during screening.

The hazard to the wide colonisation remains precise low, the UKHSA added.

The UKHSA is moving a programme of investigating workers who person travel into interaction with infected birds, but is besides moving asymptomatic testing.

The archetypal idiosyncratic who tested affirmative is thought to person inhaled the virus.

The 2nd idiosyncratic is thought to beryllium a much analyzable lawsuit and it is unclear whether they person suffered a genuine corruption oregon whether they excessively inhaled the microorganism portion astatine work.

The UKHSA says precautionary interaction tracing has been undertaken for this 2nd individual.

Chief Medical Advisor astatine the UKHSA Professor Susan Hopkins said that globally determination is "no grounds of dispersed of this strain from idiosyncratic to person, but we cognize that viruses germinate each the clip and we stay vigilant for immoderate grounds of changing hazard to the population."

"It remains captious that radical debar touching sick oregon dormant birds, and that they travel the DEFRA proposal astir reporting," she added.

There are 5 strains of avian influenza that person threatened quality wellness successful caller years - H7N9, H9N2, H5N6, H5N8 and a benignant of H5N1 strain much commonly recovered successful Asia.

Although nary of these strains easy infect people, and they are not usually dispersed from idiosyncratic to person, tiny numbers of radical person been infected astir the world, starring to a tiny fig of deaths.

There person been precise fewer cases of vertebrate flu transmission to radical recorded successful the UK. The microorganism is not that good suited to humans and does not dispersed arsenic easy arsenic it does betwixt birds.

It usually requires precise adjacent interaction with an infected bird, which is wherefore experts accidental the hazard to humans is presently considered precise low.

These latest cases bash not alteration that assessment. There is nary proposition that the microorganism has changed to go infectious to america oregon dispersed from idiosyncratic to person.