Tue Mar 25 01:57:20 UTC 2025: ## First Case of Bird Flu in Sheep Confirmed in UK
**London, March 25, 2025** – The UK government announced today the first confirmed case of H5N1 bird flu in a sheep, a ewe found on a Yorkshire farm. This marks a significant development, as it’s the first such case globally. While the ewe showed signs of mastitis, a breast tissue inflammation, no other clinical symptoms were observed. The animal was culled, and further infection within the flock was not detected.
The discovery follows the ongoing spread of H5N1 among dairy cattle in the U.S. since March 2024, a parallel noted by Professor Ed Hutchinson of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. He emphasized that current evidence shows no ongoing transmission from the sheep.
The positive milk sample from the ewe strengthens concerns about the virus’s ability to spread among mammals. A variety of mammals worldwide have succumbed to the H5N1 virus, including bears, cats, dogs, dolphins, seals, and tigers. While human cases have been recorded, ranging in severity, there’s no confirmed human-to-human transmission to date.
Dr. Meera Chand of the UK Health Security Agency reassured the public that the risk to the general population remains low, stating that current evidence suggests the virus doesn’t spread easily to humans. However, the UK government has implemented livestock surveillance on farms with confirmed avian influenza in birds to monitor the situation closely.
First Piper 