Another strain of bird flu confirmed in UK, as mass cull ordered

17 November 2024, 19:24 | Updated: 17 November 2024, 21:25

Another strain of bird flu (H5N1) has been confirmed at a poultry farm in Cornwall, with a mass cull of the birds ordered by the government.

All birds at the St Ives premises will now be humanely killed, with a 3km protection zone and 10km protection zone put in place.

The last avian flu outbreak in the UK happened in February (described as the country's largest ever) and involved the H5N1 virus.

It comes less than two weeks after a similar outbreak was reported in Yorkshire, but with a different strain of the disease (H5N5).

The virus is typically spread through birds' faeces, mucus and saliva.

Bird flu has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in recent years, and has started to spread to mammals - leading to concerns it could result in human-to-human transmission.

In July, US scientists said there was "strong evidence" bird flu has spread from mammals to humans for the first time, marking another step in the evolution of the virus.

(c) Sky News 2024: Another strain of bird flu confirmed in UK, as mass cull ordered