Bird flu has infected a sheep in Britain in what the government on Monday described as the first case of its kind reported anywhere in the world. While avian influenza had already been detected in cattle and other mammals, including in the United States, the infection of a sheep will increase concern over the potential impact of the disease’s spread. In a statement, Britain’s government said that avian origin flu (or H5N1) had been found in a ewe during what it called “routine surveillance” of livestock in Yorkshire in the north of England, where cases had been confirmed in captive birds. “All affected birds and the infected ewe were humanely culled to mitigate the risk of further disease spread,” the statement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said. “Further official testing of the remaining flock of sheep at the premises, including the lambs of the affected ewe, were negative for the presence of avian influenza virus.”

Source: The Times March 24, 2025 18:23 UTC