We are hearing rumours of sustained human-to-human transmission of H5N1 bird flu in Cumbria, England.

We don’t usually report rumours on Coronaheadsup, but we are making an exception in this case, as the level of detail we have received is unusually explicit and difficult to dismiss.

We are placing this post as a marker to update if any other information becomes available, or if we can confirm what we have received so far.

If you are aware of an outbreak of bird flu in humans in England, please do get in touch, anonymously if necessary, (use a VPN to connect), and tell us what you have heard or what you know.

If we fact-check the information in this post to be incorrect, we will also update it accordingly. In this instance, we sincerely hope the information is NOT correct.

UK: Two more H5N1 bird flu infections in humans.https://t.co/ePx6FCXrFy pic.twitter.com/kvD5989ie5

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) July 15, 2023

For official UK government information on H5N1 bird flu in the UK, see here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-avian-influenza

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-influenza-a-h5n1-technical-briefings/investigation-into-the-risk-to-human-health-of-avian-influenza-influenza-a-h5n1-in-england-technical-briefing-5

UK NHS: Symptoms of bird flu in humans

Main symptoms are:
A very high temperature or feeling hot or shivery
Aching muscles
Headache
Cough or shortness of breath

Diarrhoea
Sickness
Stomach pain
Chest pain
Bleeding from the nose and gums
Conjunctivitis

https://t.co/du75D1gyTQ

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) July 30, 2023

UPDATE 1 – 14th August 2023 – three Covid hotspots in Cumbia

Barrow is England's Covid hotspot

The borough is among three districts in Cumbria that feature on the top 20 list of local authorities with the highest rates of new infections.https://t.co/BmtcYCwEeY

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) September 14, 2023