The head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said she is keeping a close eye on the threats posed by bird flu after the signs of the disease being transmitted to mammals. 

Scotland has seen nine cases of avian influenza in mammals ranging from foxes to sea otters since October 2021. 

So far this year, there has only been one recorded instance of the disease in mammals after it was confirmed in a red fox found in Perth and Kinross.

Dame Jenny Harries, who helped lead the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, said there is no new risk to humans from avian influenza but added it is being assessed by the UKHSA.

She added that monkeypox also remains an ongoing concern.

Overall, figures from the agency released on Wednesday revealed that bird flu was found in 23 of 219 wild mammals collected since October 2021 across the UK. 

The animals include six foxes, six grey seals, five otters, three harbour seals, two dolphins and one harbour porpoise.

It shows a rise of nine since an update earlier this year.

In a new briefing, the UKHSA said: “There are plausible routes of direct exposure to infected wild birds but investigations into the possibility of mammal-to-mammal transmission are ongoing.”

The UKHSA stressed that, so far, indications are that any passing of flu between mammals is limited.

The UK risk is assessed as level three, which stands for “limited mammalian transmission”.

As well as provoking concerns for Scotland's globally-important seabird colonies, avian flu has also been affecting a number of farming premises in the country. 

Most recently, highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed at premises near Stirling in February. 

The disease, in a low pathogenic variant,  was also detected at premises near Bearcroft in Dumfries on March 20.

Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Dame Jenny said avian influenza is “not a new risk but one where we are starting to see some changes potentially in mammalian transmission not yet in humans”.

She added: “The risk to humans at the moment has not changed but what we are starting to look at the changes, small changes in mammalian transmission for example we have had Spanish mink farms and a few seals.

“The general message to people is, for human risk it hasn’t changed at all but something we are definitely keeping an eye on.”

She added that the UKHSA is also focusing on monkeypox, and said: “Monkeypox is not a new virus but the way it has spread recently with much wider transmission remains an ongoing concern.”

Dame Jenny said the creation of the UKHSA following the Covid-19 pandemic enable a more “systematic approach” to handling the threats of infectious diseases.

She added: “What we are seeing is a new focus and understanding of how severe and significant an infection disease can be, not just to our lives but also livelihoods, so both health and economic costs.”