OMEN
04-05-2006, 10:48 PM
LONDON: The British government has confirmed that bird flu has been found in a dead swan in Scotland.
Preliminary tests have confirmed a case of the H5 strain of the virus, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement.
"We are already in a high state of readiness," Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said in a statement.
She has cancelled a national bird flu exercise which began this week to test the country's response to any outbreak.
"I brought to an end the national avian influenza exercise to ensure that we can bring all our resources to bear on this situation."
Officials have set up a 3km protection zone around where the swan was found in Fife, eastern Scotland.
Owners of birds within the zone have been told to take their birds indoors. A further 10km surveillance zone is in force."Measures to restrict the movement of poultry, eggs and poultry products from these zones will be brought into effect immediately," the government statement said.
The European Union said it had been informed of the precautionary measures.
"In both the protection zone and the surveillance zone, on-farm biosecurity measures must be strengthened," the EU's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement. "Hunting of wild birds is banned and disease awareness of poultry owners and their families must be carried out."
Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer Charles Milne said the discovery was an "important development".
"Bird keepers outside the protection zone should redouble their efforts to prepare for bringing their birds indoors if that becomes necessary. They must also review their biosecurity measures."
Bird flu remains essentially an animal disease, but can infect people who come into direct contact with infected birds.
It has killed 108 people since late 2003, according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organisation.
http://stuff.co.nz/inl/images/masthead/reuters.gif
Preliminary tests have confirmed a case of the H5 strain of the virus, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement.
"We are already in a high state of readiness," Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said in a statement.
She has cancelled a national bird flu exercise which began this week to test the country's response to any outbreak.
"I brought to an end the national avian influenza exercise to ensure that we can bring all our resources to bear on this situation."
Officials have set up a 3km protection zone around where the swan was found in Fife, eastern Scotland.
Owners of birds within the zone have been told to take their birds indoors. A further 10km surveillance zone is in force."Measures to restrict the movement of poultry, eggs and poultry products from these zones will be brought into effect immediately," the government statement said.
The European Union said it had been informed of the precautionary measures.
"In both the protection zone and the surveillance zone, on-farm biosecurity measures must be strengthened," the EU's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement. "Hunting of wild birds is banned and disease awareness of poultry owners and their families must be carried out."
Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer Charles Milne said the discovery was an "important development".
"Bird keepers outside the protection zone should redouble their efforts to prepare for bringing their birds indoors if that becomes necessary. They must also review their biosecurity measures."
Bird flu remains essentially an animal disease, but can infect people who come into direct contact with infected birds.
It has killed 108 people since late 2003, according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organisation.
http://stuff.co.nz/inl/images/masthead/reuters.gif