Bird flu found again in seals at east coast colony

Bird flu has again been detected in seals at Blakeney Point

Bird flu has been found in seals at one of England's best-known colonies for the second time in recent months, scientists have said.

The virus has been detected in 15 dead seals during recent testing at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, government figures show.

More tests were carried out by staff from the "avian influenza national reference laboratory" after two grey seals tested positive Blakeney Point in February.

Results released by the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the Department

for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show that more that 15 out of 40 seal carcasses tested were positive.

Detail was given in a government statement posted online.

Scientists said they could not be sure that bird flu had been the "sole cause of death".

"A total of 40 seal carcasses were sampled from the site and from that 37.5% (15) tested positive," said the statement.

"We cannot determine with certainty whether influenza of avian origin was the sole cause of death in these wild animals, and it is possible other factors may have contributed."

The statement said findings had been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or H5N1, is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals.

Recently, the world's first case of bird flu in sheep was found in Yorkshire.

Government officials say there have been a "small number" of cases in humans in the UK since 2021.

Defra says 1.78 million farmed and captive birds were culled between November and February due to the spread of the disease across the UK.