People are going to start being tested for bird flu amid concerns over how many mammals are being infected by the virus.
Avian flu typically only affects birds, with over 208 million having been killed so far in the worst outbreak ever. It's also now been found in 200 native UK mammals such as otters and foxes, according to the BBC.
There are fears that humans could be next to be infected by the virus, so the UK Health Secretary Agency is to increase testing and surveillance of people and animals exposed to it.
Wales Online reports that worldwide, the virus has been found in mammals such as mink, bears, dolphins and seals.
It's believed that they've became infected after eating the sick birds, as they were found to carry a "mutated" version of the condition that is more contagious amongst mammals.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency said there is "a very low likelihood of any widespread infection in GB mammals".
Prof Ian Brown, APHA's director of scientific services, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that there was no reason why the avian flu virus could not pass between aniamls.
He said: "We have to be watchful, which is why we’re enhancing our surveillance in the UK to make sure that we can track and monitor for these changes, so Defra and the devolved administrations are supporting a programme for actively looking mammals that we believe might scavenge and feed on wild birds.
"We analyse those viruses if we detect them, and we share that data very rapidly with our public health counterparts so we can make clear and rapid assessments."
He added: “If you analyse the genetic code of the virus, you can work out whether it’s come from a bird or whether it’s going from one mammal to another. So it’s about that dissection and looking in the genes of the virus.”
Asked about whether the Apha is asking questions about whether it could spread to humans, he said: “Yes and that’s what we’re looking for, that’s why we’re doing the work. We need to understand the consequence of this infection. Does it make the virus change by jumping its host? We’re aware those events can sometimes lead to that.”
He said “at the moment, we’re a long way” from the possibility that bird flu would infect humans in the way Covid-19 had, adding: “We’ve seen this jump, we’ve not seen maintenance in a mammalian species and importantly, we haven’t seen a succession of changes in the virus that tell us it’s moving more towards a virus that can infect humans. This still is a spillover, but we need to be watchful which is why we’re doing this surveillance.”
There have been five confirmed human cases of the virus since October 2021, including one in the UK and one death in China.
The UKHSA has warned the "rapid and consistent acquisition of the mutation in mammals may imply this virus has a propensity to cause zoonotic infections", meaning it could jump to humans.
The first man in Britain to catch bird flu was lan Gosling, who looks after wild ducks in his home in Buckfastleigh, Devon.
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