UK sees unusual summer rise in bird flu outbreaks
Ireland also reports case in backyard poultry flock
21 August 2025
1 minute read
By: The United Kingdom is experiencing an unusual summer uptick in H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in commercial poultry, with 10 cases reported over the past two weeks, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reports. Ireland also confirmed an outbreak on July 31 in a small backyard flock.
The two most recent UK detections were confirmed at commercial farms in East Devon and West Devon. The rise comes after the UK had lowered its avian flu threat level following a five-week stretch with no new detections.
Unlike last summer, when Great Britain saw no poultry outbreaks from March to early April, this year’s detections suggest a shift in seasonal patterns.
Writing on the Avian Flu Diary blog, infectious disease observer Mike Coston noted, “While this spate of summer HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] outbreaks could prove to be little more than a transient event, it represents a change in the typical summer pattern—and is worth keeping our eye on.”
Global detections continue
According to the latest weekly update from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, recent H5N1 outbreaks have also been confirmed in poultry in Taiwan, Canada and Cambodia, based on notifications to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
The most recent detection in US poultry occurred in early July on a game bird farm in Pennsylvania.
