April 7, 2006

 

UK confirms dead swan in Scotland had H5N1 bird flu

 

 

A wild swan found dead in Scotland was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, British government officials said Thursday (Apr 6).

 

The officials added the case poses no serious risk to public health.

 

The case is Britain's first confirmation of H5N1 in a wild bird. The deadly virus has not been found in domestic British poultry.

 

H5N1 was detected in a swan found in Cellardyke, more than 450 miles north of London, said Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer, Charles Milne.

 

Twelve swans and two other wild birds were also being tested, Milne told a news conference. He said there was "no indication that any of these are positive" yet.

 

"There is no reason for public health concern," Britain's Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said in a statement.

 

Two swans found dead in the Scottish city of Glasgow, 400 miles north of London, are among the 14 being tested for H5N1, Scotland's parliament said Thursday.

 

However, preliminary tests indicate the birds died from diseases not related to bird flu, a Scottish parliament spokesman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity in line with policy.

 

British government officials have restricted the movement of poultry and implemented a 2,500-square-kilometre "wild bird risk area" around the site where the infected swan was found, Milne said.

 

Poultry farmers within the zone will be required to bring their flocks indoors, with around 260,000 birds expected to be moved, he said.

 

Wildlife officials will increase surveillance of wild birds, he said. Milne said there would be no mass vaccination of farmed birds to protect them against H5N1.

 

However, officials have ruled out a nationwide policy to keep all poultry and other domestic birds indoors, the Scottish parliament spokesman said.

 

The British government's crisis committee met earlier to discuss how to implement contingency plans, Britain's Cabinet Office said.

 

National Farmers' Union president Peter Kendall urged the public to continue eating poultry. "There are no implications for public health or consumers," he said.

 

The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland also confirmed Thursday that three dead swans--one found in County Down and two in County Antrim--were taken for examination by vets for the H5N1 bird flu virus.

 

Neighbouring Ireland was also bracing for a possible outbreak of bird flu with three suspected cases in Northern Ireland and the confirmed case in Scotland.

 

Ireland's Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan said she was working closely with the departments in both Scotland and Northern Ireland to establish an "immediate risk assessment" to Ireland as the Scottish case "obviously heightened the risk here".