Almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds have been culled in the past three months because of the spread of avian flu across the UK, the BBC has learned. There have been 33 outbreaks of the virus on farms and, on Wednesday, the government said bird-keepers in five more English counties would have to house flocks indoors from Sunday.

It also could mean there are more “virus–infected dairy cattle in states where infection in dairy cattle has not yet been identified,” the CDC says. Human cases of bird flu still remain rare, with only 68 cases confirmed in the United States by the CDC.

The first case of bird flu in a human in Ohio has been reported, according to officials. A farm worker from Mercer County, Ohio, located on the state's western border along Indiana, came into contact with deceased poultry that was infected with the virus,

Avian flu was detected in a backyard flock of about 15 ducks and geese in Madison County, according to Madison County Public Health. It is the first known case of avian flu in domestic birds in the county, but a bald eagle found in the county in September 2022 tested positive for avian flu.

HPAI spreads easily among birds and – while rare – can spread from birds to people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to people from HPAI viruses to be low.