The first human case of bird flu has been confirmed in England.

The UK Health Security Agency said a person in the West Midlands region caught bird flu on a farm where “they had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds”.

This is the first human case since May 2023 when a poultry culler caught the illness from infected birds.

This comes as there has been a national outbreak among animals.

This comes as there has been a national outbreak among animals.

The affected individual is now in isolation and contact tracing is underway.

Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said: “The safety of the public is paramount, and we are monitoring this situation closely.”

“The risk of wider or onward transmission is very low, however the UK remains prepared and ready to respond to any current and future health threats. We recently added the H5 vaccine, which protects against avian influenza, to our stockpile as part of our preparedness plans.”

There has currently been no proved human-to-human transmission despite extensive recent surveillance of the circulating strain A(H5N1).