H5N1 found in UK sheep
The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been identified in a sheep in the UK.
This marks the first instance globally of this variant being found in a sheep.
The Chief Veterinary Officer of the UK has confirmed a case of avian-origin influenza (H5N1) in a single sheep located in Yorkshire, following repeat positive tests on milk samples.
The case was detected during routine surveillance of livestock on a premises where avian influenza had previously been confirmed in captive birds. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has implemented livestock surveillance measures on infected premises in response to the outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows in the US.
The infected sheep has been humanely culled to facilitate extensive testing. Further examinations of the remaining flock of sheep at the premises were conducted by the National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza at the Animal and Plant Health Agency's Weybridge laboratory. No additional infections with the avian influenza virus were detected in the remaining flock, confirming that this remains a single case in a mammal identified on the premises.
