Two dolphins die of bird flu in UK waters: government says deaths are due to highly contagious H5N1

Two dolphins have died of bird flu for the first time in the UK and both were infected with the highly contagious H5N1 virus, the government announced.

The marine mammals were found in separate locations, on Devon and Pembrokeshire beaches, last month.

A harbor porpoise was also found to have died from the avian influenza variant in East Yorkshire.

Highly pathogenic, H5N1 has spread throughout the world over the past 18 months, killing millions of birds.

Bird flu has been seen in dolphins in other parts of the world, but never before in British waters.

However, it has previously been seen in native species, including foxes, otters, and gray seals.

The bird flu outbreak, which began early last year, is the largest in history and has affected more than 200 million domestic birds worldwide, as well as wild birds.

In addition to birds, the virus has infected a variety of mammals, including 22 in the UK.

This year, six mammals have been confirmed to have had bird flu: two red foxes in Powys and Perth and Kinross, an otter in Shropshire along with two dolphins and a porpoise.

The animals are believed to have eaten dead birds that had been infected with the virus.

Around the world, the virus has also spread to mammals such as mink, raccoons, and bears.

The infections have raised fears that the virus could soon acquire worrying new mutations that could cause a human pandemic.

So far, scientists have not been able to confirm that the virus can spread between mammals in the wild.

It is believed that most wild animals that get avian influenza got it from infected scavenger birds.

However, the mass deaths of seals and sea lions from the virus have been a cause for great concern, and the World Organization for Animal Health is investigating the findings.

H5N1 is not yet capable of spreading from person to person, like Covid and other flu viruses.

While ill-adapted for humans, the virus is deadly, killing about half of the people it infects.

In late February, a Cambodian schoolgirl became the first victim of the bird flu of 2023 after she and her father became infected.

Eleven-year-old Bean Narong died on February 22 after contracting type A HN51 in the impoverished town of Rolaing in the southeastern province of Prey Veng.

The girl and her father were among fewer than 1,000 people ever to be diagnosed with H5N1.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said at the time that the situation was “concerning” but stressed that there was currently no evidence that bird flu had made the genetic leap necessary to spread between humans.

The organization He called for vigilance but tried to calm fears that large-scale human outbreaks were looming.

“The recent contagion to mammals must be closely monitored,” said the head of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressing that “at the moment, the WHO assesses the risk to humans as low.”

Ghebreyesus noted that since the virus first emerged in 1996, “we’ve only seen rare, non-sustained transmission of H5N1 to and between humans.”

But, he warned: “We cannot assume that this will continue to be the case, and we must prepare for any change in the status quo.”

He said people were advised not to touch dead or sick wild animals and instead report them to local and national authorities, who were monitoring the situation.

The WHO also recommended strengthening surveillance in settings where humans and animals interact.

“WHO also continues to collaborate with manufacturers to ensure that, if necessary, supplies of vaccines and antivirals are available for global use,” Ghebreyesus said.