A 79-year-old man from Devon is the first rare case of bird flu in humans in Britain

Alan Gosling, 79, of Devon, is the first person in the UK to become infected with the bird flu.  It is the first-ever human case of bird flu recorded in Britain.

The virus, also known as H5N1, kills about 50% of the people it infects, but it is rare in humans. Less than 1,000 human-to-human transmission cases have been reported worldwide since the outbreak of the virus in poultry in the late 1990s.

The pensioner, named as the first person in the UK to become infected with bird flu has been left despondent after his entire flock of ducks, living in his house, were culled.

According to Mr. Gosling, he is in solitary confinement but in good health, although devastated by the fact that all his favorite ducks, living inside his home, were culled by the authorities in Britain.

"People do not realize that ducks are smart, but also sweet. They sat on my slippers to keep warm before I put them on. The house was never empty and I was never alone. "It's like a morgue now," Gosling said.

Britain has recently been facing the biggest outbreak of bird flu that has hit the country until now. Up to 2 million birds are already believed to have been killed.

Public health officials say tests have shown that Mr. Gosling did not transmit the virus to other people. They stress that the risk to public health is very low, with citizens urged not to touch sick or dead birds.