Bird Flu in UK Waters Causes Two Dolphins Die
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VIVA – The bird flu virus has triggered the deaths of two dolphins for the first time in the UK. The animals were found last month in Devon and Pembrokeshire amid growing concern after the virus successfully infected mammals and posed a risk to humans.
A highly contagious strain of bird flu was confirmed in mammals by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Although it is the first time dolphins have been killed by the infection in British waters, 23 other mammals have been affected.
It has spread to seals, otters, harbor porpoises, and foxes – raising fears in recent months due to the "unprecedented" current outbreak since October last year.
Although this is the first time a dolphin has been killed by the infection in UK waters, 23 other mammals have also been infected. The virus has also spread to seals, otters, harbor porpoises, and foxes.
"Samples taken as part of routine wildlife surveillance have detected the presence of influenza of avian origin in two dolphins and one porpoise. The animals were found dead, and they likely preyed on infected wild birds," said a spokesperson for the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Ilustrasi flu burung.
- Antara FOTO.
The condition has caused fear in recent months due to an unprecedented outbreak since October last year. The H5N1 strain has had a mortality rate of about 50 percent among humans with a record 870 people having been infected with bird flu in the past 20 years and 457 of them dying.
"The presence of influenza of avian origin in mammals is not new, although it is uncommon, and the risk of the H5N1 strain to non-avian UK wildlife remains low." The agency said.
Elsewhere in the world, bird flu has previously affected sea lions and mink, and winged animals. This comes as scientists have warned that the virus might mutate to infect human cells after an 11-year-old girl died after contracting the virus.
The young girl in Cambodia is believed to have been infected by poultry in Prey Veng province, near Vietnam. She is the first person to die from the bug in 2023. Her 49-year-old father, one of 12 close contacts tested, has also been infected.
Meanwhile, dr. Erik Karlsson, who led the team at Cambodia's Pasteur Institute investigating the girl's virus, said it was different from samples taken from birds in the area, "There are some indications that this virus has been transmitted to humans," he said.
"Whenever these viruses get into a new host, they will undergo certain changes that allow them to replicate a little bit better or potentially bind to cells in our respiratory tract a little bit better," he informed.
Scientists have called on the Government to create a vaccine for the flu before it can become more harmful to humans.
The main symptoms of bird flu can appear very quickly and include a very high temperature or feeling hot or shivering, sore muscles, and headache as well as coughing or shortness of breath.
Other early symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, chest pain, bleeding from the nose and gums, and conjunctivitis.
