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...Although the cases of swan deaths in Cumbria have not been directly linked to avian flu at this point, a number of dead swans in Dawlish, Devon — around 250 miles south of Ulverston — were confirmed to have contracted H5N8, the latest strain of avian flu. Cases of the virus have been seen across Europe, with France, Germany, Belgium, Norway and others reporting instances of H5N8.

Russia has warned today that mutating H5N8 Bird Flu has a high risk of human-to-human transmission. The alert appears to contradict the low threat position of the World Health Organisation. This comes almost a month after scientists detected the first case of H5N8 transmission to humans at a poultry farm in southern Russia. The Kremlin’s health watchdog chief Anna Popova said there was “a rather high probability” of transmission between humans. “It is likely to happen,” she told TASS. “Colleagues say that the mutation is continuing very actively.” But she said that scientists had spotted the threat “before a disaster...

Russia has reported the first case of a bird flu strain, H5N8, being passed from poultry to humans. Officials said seven workers at a poultry plant in the south of the country had been infected following an outbreak there in December. "All seven people... are now feeling well," said the head of Russia's consumer health watchdog, Anna Popova. She said that adequate measures had been quickly taken to stop the spread of infection. There was no sign of transmission between humans, Ms Popova said, adding that the case had been reported to the World Health Organization.

Seven people at a poultry farm in southern Russia have been infected with H5N8 bird flu, officials say, making it the first time that the highly pathogenic virus has been found in humans. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. “Today, I want to inform you about an important scientific discovery made by scientists at the Vector scientific center,” Anna Popova, the head of Russia’s consumer health watchdog, said on Saturday. “The first cases of human infection with [avian influenza A(H5N8)] have been laboratory confirmed.” The virus was found in seven employees at a poultry farm in southern Russia, where...

PARIS (Reuters) - Germany has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in a backyard in the southwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday. The virus killed 44 birds out of a flock of 69 in Bretzfeld, in the Baden-Wurttemberg region, the Paris-based OIE said, citing a report from Germany’s food and agriculture ministry. “All poultry and captive birds have been culled and safely disposed of on Feb. 7, 2020. No poultry, poultry products or captive birds have been dispatched,” it said in the report.