H5N1 Bird Flu Spreads in UK and South Korea Poultry Farms Global Human Risk Remains Low in December 2025

Bird Flu Bulletin: Daily H5N1 Update Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 This is Bird Flu Bulletin: Daily H5N1 Update, your three-minute briefing on the global bird flu situation. Top stories First, the United Kingdom is tightening control measures after another large commercial poultry flock near Dereham in Norfolk tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 on December 8, according to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This brings the UK total for the 2025–2026 season to 66 confirmed H5N1 outbreaks in birds, with risk for poultry now assessed as very high in some areas. Second, South Korea’s Agriculture Ministry reports two new H5N1 outbreaks at poultry farms today, pushing the country’s farm outbreak total this season to 10. Authorities there have stepped up culling and movement controls around affected farms to contain further spread. Third, the World Health Organization recently confirmed the first-ever human infection with H5N5, a related avian influenza A(H5) subtype, in the United States in November 2025. WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stress that there is still no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission in any of the recent H5 infections. Case numbers In humans, the CDC reports a total of 71 confirmed H5 infections in the United States since early 2024, including the new H5N5 case, with no additional human H5N1 cases detected since February 2025. Globally, WHO data indicate that human H5N1 infections remain rare and sporadic, and there has been no jump in severe or clustered cases in the last 24 hours. In birds, the UK added one new large commercial flock outbreak since yesterday, while South Korea’s total rose by two affected poultry farms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to detect H5 viruses in wild birds in North America, but there has been no major change in the geographic pattern since yesterday’s update. New guidance and official statements The UK government is maintaining housing orders for poultry in designated high-risk areas of England and urging strict biosecurity on all premises with birds. Officials are reminding smallholders and backyard flock owners that even small flocks can introduce infection into a region. The CDC reiterates that the overall risk to the general public in the United States remains low. It recommends that people avoid contact with sick or dead birds, use personal protective equipment when working with poultry or potentially infected mammals, and report influenza-like illness after animal exposure to health authorities. Expert interview Joining us briefly is Dr. Elena Ruiz, a veterinary epidemiologist advising on avian influenza control. Host: Dr. Ruiz, what is the key takeaway from today’s developments? Dr. Ruiz: The main message is vigilance without panic. We are seeing active H5N1 circulation in poultry in parts of Europe and Asia, but human infections remain very rare and, so far, are linked to close contact with This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.