Bird flu is on the rise in the UK. Are chickens in the back garden to blame?

The risk to humans from the disease, spread by wild birds, is low but a record level of outbreaks this year has researchers worried

Bird flu outbreaks rose nearly fivefold last year, creating an urgent need for research into preventing the spread of the disease, according to the head of a new consortium investigating the virus.

The record of 26 outbreaks involving H5N1 in 2021 has been shattered, with 121 outbreaks involving the H5 serotype this year, according to Prof Ian Brown, head of virology at the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha).