The UK government announced on Monday that the H5N1 avian influenza virus has been detected in a sheep during routine surveillance at a farm in Yorkshire.
The case of infection was identified in the UK’s Yorkshire region as a result of a planned inspection related to the fact that a sheep pen had previously contained birds that had been diagnosed with avian influenza. Only one sheep out of the entire flock was found to be infected and the risk to livestock and the public remains low.
The sick animal was isolated after the infection was identified. Vets have urged farmers to keep clean and report any signs of infection to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Earlier, the bird flu virus was reported to be able to survive in cheese for two months. Researchers made several versions of mini cheeses and “inoculated” them with H5N1 to test whether oxidising milk could inactivate the bird flu virus. The cheeses were produced at three pH (acidity) levels: from the least acidic (6.6) to the most acidic (5.0).
