One of the UK’s most stunning national parks was under bird flu alert after more than 10,000 poultry face being culled following the discovery of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Cases of avian influenza were found at a commercial poultry site near Penrith in Cumbria, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed.
DEFRA explained the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain was discovered last week and all poultry at the site which is just a few miles from the Lake District National Park would be humanely culled. A two-mile (3km) protection zone, which means all poultry and captive birds in the area must be housed, has also been put in place. A six-mile (10km) surveillance zone has also been put in force.
This means a record must be kept of all poultry and eggs which leave or enter premises within the zone.
Bird flu was also discovered at a site near Wetheral in Cumbria in September. The only other ‘protection zone’ in place across England is near Crewe according to DEFRA.
Human-to-human transmission has not happened in the UK or Europe since bird flu first emerged in 1997 – but experts warn each infection increases the risk of the virus adapting to human hosts and causing a pandemic.
What is avian flu – and how does it spread?
Avian flu (more commonly known as bird flu) is an influenza virus most common in wild birds and poultry. It can spread to mammals – and very rarely to humans.
It is spread through contact with infected birds, or other species, including through touching their droppings and bedding.
Humans can also catch the virus by killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), people who work with birds are most likely to contract it by breathing in dust and mist generated by infected birds – or touching infected equipment or machinery.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms in birds include sudden death, a swollen head, and closed or runny eyes. Mortality rates in chickens and other poultry are close to 100%.
Ducks, geese, and swans do not always show symptoms, which means they can spread the virus undetected.
Scientists at the University of Glasgow recently found that horses were also asymptomatic for bird flu, sparking concerns the virus could be spreading undetected.
There have only been two human cases in the UK. The first was detected in January 2022 in an individual who kept a large flock of ducks at their home in England. The person remained asymptomatic.
The second was revealed in January 2025 with a worker contracting the infection on a farm in the West Midlands after contact with a large number of infected birds, with authorities describing it as a “very rare event”.
Prof Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, said after the second case: “The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low, despite this confirmed case.”
That patient was treated at a high-consequence infectious disease unit to prevent further transmission with no signs of life-threatening illness, according to the government. Their closest contacts were given antiviral drugs.
But there is evidence the virus has spread to other mammals in Britain.
One sheep tested positive during a routine livestock check in Yorkshire, as well as more than a dozen grey seals along the north Norfolk coast, and a red fox in the Scottish Highlands.
Speaking after the sheep case was confirmed on 24 March, DEFRA said: “While this is the first time this virus has been reported in a sheep, it is not the first time influenza of avian origin has been detected in livestock in other countries.
“There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation’s livestock population.”