Michael McHale , 2025-04-15 07:30:00
Warning comes after H5N1 infection found in ewe in England last month
Health officials have issued a warning about the risk of avian influenza after 19 wild birds in Ireland tested positive for the virus in the first three months of 2025.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) said that the cases mean that the avian influenza virus is circulating and has the potential to cause more wild bird illness and deaths.
Worldwide, since 2003, there have been nearly 1,000 recorded human cases of H5N1, the subtype of avian influenza that is thought to be the most serious for birds and people. Around half of people with H5N1 have died from the infection.
Of the 19 birds found with avian flu in Ireland between January and March, 18 had the H5N1 subtype, while another tested positive for the H5Nx subtype.
The infected birds were found in locations around the country, and across a number of species including greylag goose, peregrine falcon, white-tailed eagle, gull, buzzard, starlings and several swans.
Due to the risks posed from the disease, the HSE has echoed advice from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine not to touch or handle any sick or dead wild birds.
“Wintertime tends to be the time of year with the highest level of avian influenza in birds. Although it is late in the avian influenza season, the infection is still affecting Irish wild birds,” a HSE statement said.
With winter flu still circulating, health officials warned that a mixing of seasonal illnesses and bird fly could allow the virus to mutate and spread more easily.
“It is very unusual for people to catch bird flu but it can happen,” the statement added. “Currently, it is hard to catch avian influenza from a bird or animal, and there is no evidence that it can be passed between people, but if the virus mutates this may happen in the future.”
They also warned of the risk of a person infected with avian influenza passing it on to poultry flocks leading to severe disease among birds.
If a person picks up or handles sick or dead wild birds that are found to be infected with avian influenza, they will be monitored for a period of ten days and may be offered antiviral medication and vaccination if they are considered to be at risk.
The Department of Agriculture said that poultry flock owners, veterinary practitioners and others should remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their flocks and report any disease suspicion immediately to their nearest regional veterinary office.
In the UK, there have been 62 confirmed outbreaks of bird flu in poultry flocks and captive birds since last November. In March a case of H5N1 was confirmed in a sheep in Yorkshire, England, after a farm had already had cases of the virus among its captive birds.
The ewe tested positive for H5 antibodies in the blood, and a PCR test found that her milk was positive for H5 ribonucleic acid (RNA). The ewe had been showing clinical signs of mastitis and was culled along with the infected to mitigate further spread of the disease.