A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in commercial poultry at a farm in East Riding of Yorkshire. The virus, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), was discovered near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire,

Turkey has reported an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 strain of avian influenza on a poultry farm for the first time in over a year, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday.

But in the months since the outbreak was first detected, the spread of the virus in cows has not been contained, with infections reported in 380 herds in 14 states so far. Now, with cold and flu season looming, it is likely to become significantly more difficult for the country’s public health departments to track the virus.

The UK government said on Tuesday that cases of bird flu had been confirmed in commercial poultry at premises in Yorkshire, hours after it increased the risk level of the disease from medium to high.

Cases of bird flu have been detected at a commercial poultry farm in Yorkshire, the first time the highly infectious virus has been confirmed in chickens in England during the current outbreak.