Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Wild Birds with H5N1 in England 2008

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

    Originally posted by niman View Post
    Mute Swans Infected With Bird Flu In Dorset, England

    10 Jan 2008

    Authorities are trying to find out how the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus strain infected and killed three mute swans in Dorset, England. Other birds at Abbotsbury Swannery are being tested. Abbotsbury Swannery, approximately 9 miles from Weymouth, is a bird sanctuary. According to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the dead birds were found while routine surveillance was taking place.


    <HR SIZE=1>Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93615.php
    Well beyond belief.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

      Originally posted by niman View Post
      Bird flu sends shock-waves through Dorset
      By Julie Magee


      Dorset police wildlife officer PC John Snellin advised people not to touch dead birds but contact Defra if a swan, goose or group of birds were involved.

      He said: "Bird flu doesn't affect all birds - it's really just waterfowl such as swans and geese."


      This was my very favorite quote of all!

      Try telling the people in Hong Kong that it does not affect other types of birds.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

        BIRD FLU HITS DORSET
        By Joanna Codd
        <TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ffffff 5px solid; BORDER-TOP: #ffffff 5px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ffffff 5px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 5px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=10 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>Abbotsbury is particularly popular in the spring when the cygnets are born. Photo by Samantha Cook</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
        MEMBERS of the public have been urged to be vigilant after three mute swans found dead at Abbotsbury were confirmed as having a lethal strain of bird flu.
        It is only the second time the H5N1 strain of the virus has been found in wild birds in the UK. The other case was a swan on the east coast of Scotland more than 18 months ago, although there were two outbreaks among commercial poultry in East Anglia last year.
        Government environment and countryside department Defra has now imposed restrictions on the area around Abbotsbury, including Chesil Beach and Portland Bill.
        Within the zone, anyone keeping birds has to make sure they are housed or otherwise isolated from contact with wild birds. Movements of kept birds are also restricted.
        Defra is working closely with wildlife experts to consider whether further measures may need to be taken. The local wild bird population is being monitored, but culling has been ruled out because it could disperse birds further away.
        John Houston, general manager of Abbotsbury tourism, said the dead swans had been found by a member of staff at the swannery, a reserve for free flying swans and other wild birds in a fleet behind Chesil Beach.
        "Our main concern is the welfare of the swans, our staff and the general public. We are working closely with Defra to ensure that this outbreak is contained and that the number of swans affected is limited," he said.
        A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said antiviral drugs and seasonal flu vaccine was being offered to people who had been in close contact with the infected swans.
        He stressed: "The current level of risk to humans from avian flu is extremely low and there is no need for local residents to restrict or change their everyday activity."
        RSPB Dorset spokeswoman Sophie Atherton said the organisation was stepping up surveillance of wild birds on wetland reserves, not only in Dorset, but also in Somerset and Devon.
        She said: "We don't know how this virus arrived in Dorset, but it's unlikely to have involved mute swans directly, because that population is sedentary. All we can do is watch, wait and be vigilant. The public can help by keeping their eyes open, being sensible and not touching any wild birds."
        Anyone who sees three or more dead or sick birds of the same species, or five of different species, in the same place should ring Defra on 08459 33 55 77.
        Records of Abbotsbury Swannery go back to 1354 and it has been under the stewardship of the Ilchester Estates since 1541. The attraction, which had been due to reopen on March 15, is especially popular in late spring, when hundreds of cygnets hatch.
        6:31pm today

        TWO more dead swans have been found along the Fleet after the bird flu outbreak. But staff at Abbotsbury Swannery say there is no cause for alarm.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

          Deadly H5N1 bird flu kills three swans in England

          Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:19pm EST
          By Nigel Hunt
          LONDON (Reuters) - Britain found the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in three wild swans on Thursday and warned poultry owners to protect their flocks.
          The European Commission said the cases at a bird sanctuary in Dorset, southern England, meant the EU's usual control area had been established around the premises.
          Within the zone, poultry cannot be moved, except directly to slaughterhouses and the hunting of wild birds is banned.
          "While this is obviously unwelcome news we have always said that Britain is at a constant low level of risk of introduction of avian influenza," Fred Landeg, Britain's acting Chief Veterinary Officer, said in a statement.
          Britain's first case of the strain was in a wild swan found dead in Cellardyke in Scotland in 2006 and there have subsequently been outbreaks at poultry farms in eastern England, most recently in November 2007.
          Nick Blayney, president of the British Veterinary Association, said surveillance played a critical role in tackling the disease.
          "In this case vigilance would seem to have enabled the arrival of the disease to have been promptly identified.
          "Domestic flock owners, not only in the vicinity but countrywide, are reminded of the need to protect their birds by following biosecurity guidelines...and to continually monitor their birds' health," Blayney said in a statement.
          VIGILANCE
          In the latest incident, no disease has been found in domestic birds and a surveillance program is being carried out in the local wild bird population, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said.
          Prime Minister Gordon Brown said vigilance was key.
          "We will investigate this further but the protection zones are our insurance that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that this disease does not spread," he told BBC news.
          Scientists said there could be a link to previous outbreaks in Britain.
          "The new detection of H5N1 infected swans in Dorset is not particularly surprising in light of the outbreak in November," said John McCauley of Division Of Virology at the MRC National Institute For Medical Research.
          "The H5N1 virus seems to have made its way not only to East Anglia (in eastern England) but now also on the South Coast."
          He said there was extensive surveillance of wild birds throughout Europe and an EU report last summer had concluded the H5N1 virus was present even if its detection was not common.
          However, one of the most sensitive ways to pick up H5N1 viruses was in surveillance of dead birds, especially swans.
          "The swans infected in Dorset are not of a species that undergoes significant migration but it is likely that the mute swans mix with waterfowl from regions in which H5N1 infection is more common," McCauley added.
          The ministry has set up control and monitoring areas around the premises where the birds were found. Inside the areas, bird keepers are required to house their birds and isolate them from contact with wild birds while bird shows are banned.
          The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 210 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds had either died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.
          In Paris, the head of the world animal health body OIE Bernard Vallat said the virus had now stabilized but there is still a risk that it could mutate into a new dangerous form.
          (Reporting by Nigel Hunt; editing by Chris Johnson)http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?...90141320080110

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

            Originally posted by niman View Post
            Commentary

            H5N1 in Dead Swans in England Likely

            Recombinomics Commentary 14:22
            January 10, 2008

            Three dead swans found on a nature reserve in Dorset were today found to have been carrying the lethal strain of bird flu, sparking fears that the virus had again landed on Britain's shores.

            Urgent tests were under way to check the other birds and ducks at the swannery in Abbotsbury, where the dead mute swans were found in the past 48 hours. The department for the environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) was expected to issue a statement later this today to confirm that the H5N1 strain had been found in the birds.

            The above comments strongly suggest that the Uva Lake strain of H5N1 in wild birds in England (see satellite map for location) will be announced shortly. 48 hours is enough time to confirm H5N1, and wild waterfowl are generally resistant to avian influenza. However, dead mute swans are frequently killed by H5N1.

            The earlier outbreak of H5N1 in free range turkeys indicated H5N1 was flying around undetected in England. The turkeys were infected with the Uva Lake strain, which had been found in wild birds in Germany, the Czech Republic, and France over the summer. It was then found in a whooper swan in Krasnodar in September. More recently the outbreaks in northern Germany and Romania have involved the Uva Lake strain, strongly suggesting that outbreaks in Poland and Rostov will also be the Uva Lake strain.

            Thus, it is increasingly clear that H5N1 has spread throughout Europe, and those countries that have not reported H5N1 in recent weeks have a poor surveillance system.

            This will be the first time DEFRA has found H5N1 in a wild bird that did not wash up on its shores, as happened in Scotland two years ago (those sequences were just released, almost two years after collection). DEFRA, like most surveillance systems in Europe have yet to find H5N1 in live wild birds, further confirming major limitations in the surveillance system. In addition to failing to detect H5N1, these agencies hoard the sequence data. DEFRA has not released the sequences from the earlier outbreak in Suffolk, and Weybridge is still holding sequences from October, 2005 from the outbreak in Romania. Similarly, Weybridge, acting as a WHO regional center, is mailed samples for Europe, the Middle East, south Asia, and Africa, and continues to hoard the sequences.

            The time for release of the data has long since passed.


            .
            "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

              Originally posted by niman View Post
              Commentary

              H5N1 in Dead Mute Swans in England Confirmed

              Recombinomics Commentary 15:58
              January 10, 2008

              Defra has today confirmed Avian Influenza in three dead wild mute swans in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset, following positive test results from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency for the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1. These birds were found and tested following our routine surveillance programme.

              A Wild Bird Control Area and Monitoring Area are being established around the premises, encompassing Chesil Beach and Portland Bill, and the shape of these is based on expert ornithological advice.

              The above comments from Defra confirm H5N1 in wild birds in England. The location of the swannery is on the southern coast (see satellite map) which is about 200 miles southwest of the earlier outbreak in free range turkeys. The presence of H5N1 on the southern coast raises questions about surveillance programs in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, which have not reported any recent outbreaks. Two years ago England reported H5N1 in a whooper swan that had washed up on the shores of Scotland. The sequences from the isolate were recently released, and were closely related to H5N1 from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

              H5N1 has regional markers that clearly distinguish introductions by wild birds. The H5N1 in the free range turkeys has been said to be related to the wild bird H5N1 from Uva Lake, but that strain has been detected throughout Europe, and sequence data would be required to regionalize the earlier outbreak. Sequences have been released for three distinct outbreaks in Germany over the summer, Krasnodar in September, and Romania in late November. Sequences from outbreaks last year in Kuwait in February, France and the Czech Republic over the summer, and more recent outbreaks in Poland, northeastern Germany, Rostov, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel have not been released, which is also true for outbreaks across southern Asia in Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

              Although monitoring of wild birds remains abysmal, the above countries have detected H5N1 in domestic poultry, and sequence hoarding continues. Weybridge has still not released H5N1 sequences from 2005 and 2006.

              The time for release of these sequences has long since passed.


              .
              "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                Bird flu strikes UK wildlife
                • 17:28 10 January 2008
                • NewScientist.com news service
                • Debora MacKenzie <!---->

                <!-- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -->Related Articles

                <!-- more --><!-- weblinks -->Web Links

                <!-- SLOT: ns_news_health_mpu --><!-- AdtechUtils - IFrame - $Revision: 1.9 $ -->

                <!-- google_ad_section_end -->The H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed in three dead swans on a nature reserve in Dorset, on the south coast of England.
                The outbreak, coming barely two months after H5N1 killed domestic turkeys on a farm 500 kilometres away, raises the possibility that the virus could be lurking in the UK?s wild bird population.
                "While this is obviously unwelcome news, we have always said that Britain is at a constant low level of risk of introduction of avian influenza," said acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg on announcing the finding on Thursday.
                This is the fourth time H5N1 has been found in Britain. The first time was in a dead wild whooper swan in Scotland. It was not clear whether that bird became infected in Britain or migrated in while carrying the virus.
                The subsequent two outbreaks were on turkey farms in the county of Suffolk in February and November 2007. Both were located near nature reserves with migrant ducks, which are known to carry H5N1.
                Virus indicator

                The site of the current outbreak, picked up by routine surveillance, is a swannery originally established by 11th century monks, and now a tourist attraction. It hosts hundreds of swans and other aquatic birds, including migrants.
                Dead swans have been found across Europe where there have been local outbreaks of H5N1, and are considered a sensitive indicator of the presence of the virus in wild bird populations. The birds found in Dorset were mute swans, which do not generally migrate long distances.
                ?The outbreak of H5N1 virus?in November was thought to have been spread to turkeys from wild fowl that may have migrated from Europe,? said John McCauley of Britain?s National Institute For Medical Research in London.
                ?The swans infected in Dorset are not of a species that undergoes significant migration, but it is likely that the mute swans mix with waterfowl from regions in which H5N1 infection is more common.?

                The H5N1 influenza virus has been confirmed in dead swans on a nature reserve, raising fears that the virus might be endemic in the UK

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                  <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Town watches swans after flu news

                  </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Black swans were brought to Dawlish from Australia

                  </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF -->Officials in a Devon town known for its black swans say they are monitoring the situation in nearby Dorset after bird flu was discovered in mute swans.
                  The three swans were found dead with the virulent H5N1 strain.
                  Rosalind Prowse, mayor of Dawlish, said the town had a number of wild birds it was responsible for, including four black swans.
                  The RSPB is increasing surveillance of wild birds on wetland nature reserves in Dorset, Devon and Somerset. <!-- E SF -->
                  <!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> If you move them around you can't always put them back where you took them from."


                  Rosalind Prowse, Dawlish mayor

                  </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->
                  The avian flu virus H5N1 was detected in mute swans from the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset.
                  The black swans in Dawlish Water have been a major tourist attraction for decades and are used as the town's emblem.
                  They were brought to Dawlish, from Australia, at the start of the 20th Century.
                  Mayor Prowse said the swans would be monitored, but that moving them might be difficult if the virus spreads.
                  Vigilance call
                  She said: "It isn't an easy matter, and obviously it would be a matter of trying to find somewhere to keep them.
                  "But black swans are very difficult because they're very territorial, and if you move them around you can't always put them back where you took them from."
                  The RSPB said vigilance was the first priority because it was unsure how the virus came to the South West. Peter Exley of the charity said: "It is unlikely to have involved the swans directly as this population is highly sedentary." He said that since bird flu first appeared as a threat to birds in the UK, the RSPB had been at the forefront of monitoring wild birds and that work would continue.

                  BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service

                  </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                    Bird flu kills three swans at nature reserve

                    By COLIN FERNANDEZ and LUKE SALKELD - More by this author ? Last updated at 22:06pm on 10th January 2008
                    Comments (2)
                    Three swans killed by bird flu have been found at a nature reserve owned by one of Britain's richest women.



                    They died of the H5N1 virus at Abbotsbury Swannery - owned by Charlotte Townshend, who is said to be worth ?390million.
                    Twelve staff are being monitored for symptoms of bird flu, which can be passed to humans, and have been given Tamiflu anti-viral tablets as a precaution. Scroll down for more...
                    The three dead swans are currently being tested by DEFRA (file picture)




                    Members of the public were warned not to touch dead wild birds near the 12th century swannery in Dorset, which has 800 mute swans and is the world's oldest.
                    Acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said: "Our message to
                    all bird keepers is they must be vigilant, report signs of disease immediately and practise the highest levels of biosecurity."
                    Last year 160,000 turkeys were slaughtered after the disease was discovered at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Norfolk.
                    Because mute swans are territorial and do not stray far from the swannery, it is likely that the disease was spread by contact from migrating ducks or geese.
                    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set an exclusion zone 20 miles around the swannery comprising a wild bird control area and a wild bird monitoring area.
                    The control area extends 15 miles to the south-east of Abbotsbury and includes Weymouth, Chesil Beach and Portland Bill.

                    The monitoring area extends 20 miles around the site, including Dorchester.
                    Any gatherings of birds in the area, such as poultry auctions and pigeon races, are banned, and poultry owners must keep their birds inside. Hunting wild birds is also banned.
                    Fears: Three wild swans have tested positive for deadly H5N1 bird flu at a nature reserve owned by Charlotte Townshend, one of the richest women in Britain



                    The swannery, an internationally important wetland, has been in the ownership of the family of Mrs Townshend, Britain's 17th richest woman, for 15 generations.
                    Last night general manager John Houston said the birds were discovered nearby at Chesil Beach.
                    He said: 2The three dead birds were found on Monday by a member of staff. We called Defra and they took the birds away.
                    "Since avian flu became an issue, we have been following Defra procedures whenever a dead bird is found on our land. We bag it up and call in Defra who analyse it.
                    "Defra aren't going to cull the rest of the birds here because it would be counter-productive.
                    "Trying to round them up will probably spread them all over the countryside."
                    Defra vets plan to carry out tests on some of the 800 swans to check for signs of avian flu.
                    Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall keeps chickens and other birds in West Dorset.
                    He said: "Everyone who keeps poultry in the area will be very concerned about the risk of finding it in their own flocks."
                    The positive test yesterday came less than a month after restrictions on the movement of poultry were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk. A restriction zone in both counties
                    was imposed after an outbreak at a turkey farm in November.
                    Ian Johnson, of the National Farmers' Union, said: "After the last 12 months of plague and pestilence, this is the last thing on God's green earth we would have wished for."
                    Avian flu was thought to infect only birds until the first human cases were seen in Hong Kong in 1997.
                    According to figures from the World Health Organisation, there have been 206 deaths from H5N1 across the world.
                    There is no cure, but Tamiflu lessens symptoms.
                    If the bird flu virus transmutes into a form that can be readily passed between humans, experts fear an epidemic that could kill up to 50million people.
                    <CITE>A Chinese man </CITE>diagnosed with bird flu is thought to have caught it from his 24-year-old son, who died last month, it emerged yesterday.
                    The man, from the eastern province of Jiangsu, has recovered.
                    Health ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said: "It was an infection from close contact."



                    Animal health experts are expected to begin inspecting a number of poultry farms today after three wild swans tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                      Originally posted by Blue View Post
                      This was my very favorite quote of all!

                      Try telling the people in Hong Kong that it does not affect other types of birds.
                      What alarms me most, is that if this degree of ill-informed journalists and officials are "managing" a real pandemic, our problems will be far worse than those we'd expect from a pandemic. Bad information could easily cost thousands of lives. I'm hoping the common sense associated with outright fear will prevail.

                      .
                      "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                        <TABLE id=story cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=tsHeadline>Swans in England Fall Victims To Bird Flu</TD></TR><TR><TD class=authorLinks id=padT10><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=authorLinks id=padT10 vAlign=top>By Dirk Anderson
                        22:18, January 10th 2008</TD><TD class=userVotes vAlign=top align=right width=350>0 votes
                        Vote this article
                        </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=storyLinks id=padT20></TD></TR><TR><TD class=storyBody id=news_body> Authorities are trying to find out how the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus strain infected and killed three mute swans in Dorset, England. Other birds at Abbotsbury Swannery are being tested. Abbotsbury Swannery, approximately 9 miles from Weymouth, is a bird sanctuary. According to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the dead birds were found while routine surveillance was taking place.

                        Authorities are asking all bird keepers, particularly those in Dorset, to be extra vigilant. Experts say birds will not be culled as this move could disperse birds further away.

                        John Houston, Abbotsbury Swannery, said this latest outbreak is a "big shock" for him and all his staff. He stressed that his main concern is for the welfare of the swans, staff and the general public. "We are also working with the Health Protection Agency to ensure that staff and public are fully protected," he said.

                        Experts say this latest outbreak is more worrying because it involves wild birds.

                        Defra informs that tests from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) confirm that the swans were infected with the highly pathogenic (virulent) H5N1 avian influenza virus strain. A 3km Control Area and 10km Monitoring Area are being established around the premises. Within these areas bird gatherings will be banned, and bird keepers must house their birds or make sure they are cannot come into contact with wild birds or their feathers and droppings.

                        Defra adds that it is working closely with ornithological experts to consider what wider measures may be required. So far, no domestic birds have been reported as infected.
                        </TD></TR><TR><TD>

                        </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                          AVIAN INFLUENZA (09): UK (ENGLAND), SWAN
                          *****************************************
                          A ProMED-mail post
                          <http://www.promedmail.org>
                          ProMED-mail is a program of the
                          International Society for Infectious Diseases
                          <http://www.isid.org>

                          [1]
                          Date: Thu 10 Jan 2008
                          Source: DEFRA News Release [edited]
                          <http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2008/animal-1001.htm>


                          Avian influenza H5N1 confirmed in Dorset
                          -----------------------------------------------------
                          Defra has today [10 Jan 2008] confirmed Avian influenza in 3 dead
                          wild mute swans in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset, following
                          positive test results from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency for the
                          highly pathogenic strain of H5N1. These birds were found and tested
                          following our routine surveillance programme.

                          A Wild Bird Control Area and a Monitoring Area are being established
                          around the premises, encompassing Chesil Beach and Portland Bill, and
                          the shape of these is based on expert ornithological advice.

                          Inside these areas bird keepers are required to house their birds or
                          otherwise isolate them from contact with wild birds, bird movements
                          will be restricted, and bird gatherings are banned. Defra is also
                          working closely with ornithological and other experts to consider
                          what wider measures may be needed. Further details can be found on
                          the Defra website at
                          <http://www.defra.gov.uk/avianflu>.

                          No disease has been found in domestic birds, and a programme of
                          surveillance is being carried out in the local wild bird population.
                          There will be no culling of wild birds because such action may
                          disperse birds further and would not aid control.

                          Acting Chief Veterinary Officer, Fred Landeg said: "While this is
                          obviously unwelcome news, we have always said that Britain is at a
                          constant low level of risk of introduction of Avian influenza. Our
                          message to all bird keepers, particularly those in the area, is that
                          they must be vigilant, report any signs of disease immediately, and
                          practice the highest levels of biosecurity."

                          A full epidemiological investigation is underway. All poultry keepers
                          on the GB Poultry Register are being notified, and the EU Commission
                          has been informed

                          --
                          Communicated by:
                          ProMED-mail
                          <promed@promedmail.org>

                          ******
                          [2]
                          Date: Thu 10 Jan 2008
                          Source: BBC News [edited]
                          <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7181384.stm>


                          Bird flu discovered in mute swan
                          --------------------------------
                          A total of 3 mute swans in Dorset have been found dead with the
                          virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu. Efforts have begun to test other
                          birds at Abbotsbury Swannery, a sanctuary located nine miles from
                          Weymouth.

                          Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said: "Our message to all
                          bird keepers, particularly those in the area, is that they must be
                          vigilant."

                          BBC environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee said officials would
                          now try to establish how the virus spread. The swans' carcasses were
                          found following routine surveillance, a statement from Defra said.

                          Defra spokeswoman Linda Scott said: "Government vets have been
                          testing them for avian flu for the last 2 days." The statement added
                          that a Wild Bird Control Area and Monitoring Area has been set up
                          around the Swannery, covering Chesil Beach and Portland Bill. Culling
                          of wild birds has been ruled out because experts fear this may
                          disperse birds further.

                          John Houston from Abbotsbury Swannery, which holds 600 swans, said:
                          "It's all a big shock. No-one expected it to come round here."

                          Shadow Environment Secretary, Peter Ainsworth said: "Clearly this is
                          very disturbing news especially because of the connection with the
                          wild bird population."

                          --
                          Communicated by:
                          ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

                          [The source of this outbreak is to be sought in wild birds;
                          ornithological assessment is anticipated. It will be also of great
                          interest to obtain information on the strain involved, particularly
                          its sequencing results highlighting its genetic profile and its
                          relationship with other recent isolates in the UK, in other European
                          countries, and elsewhere. - Mod.AS]

                          [see also:
                          2007
                          ----
                          Avian influenza (189): Poland (Mazowsze) 20071218.4073
                          Avian influenza (188): Saudi Arabia, Germany (Brandenburg) 20071217.4061
                          Avian influenza (187): Europe, Middle East, Asia 20071213.4010
                          Avian influenza (186): Poland, Russia (Krasnodar) 20071212.4002
                          Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (37): Europe 20071207.3947
                          Avian influenza (182): UK, Poland, Bangladesh 20071202.3887
                          Avian influenza (179): Romania, Saudi Arabia 20071128.3841
                          Avian influenza (172): UK (England), turkeys 20071115.3710
                          Avian influenza (171): Saudi Arabia, UK (England) 20071114.3701
                          Avian influenza (170): UK (England), turkeys, H5N1, OIE 20071114.3693
                          Avian influenza (169): UK (England), turkeys, H5N1 conf. 20071113.3686
                          Avian influenza (153): Russia (Krasnodar), swan 20070911.3009
                          Avian influenza (150): Russia, Ghana, OIE 20070906.2938
                          Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (35): H7 20070902.2887
                          Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (31): Europe 20070817.2695
                          Avian influenza (136): Germany, Hungary, Italy 20070804.2531
                          Avian influenza (123): Review, Germany, France, wild birds 20070706.2155
                          Avian influenza (118): Czech-German virus sequence 20070701.2104
                          Avian influenza (111): Germany (Bavaria), wild birds 20070626.2055
                          Avian influenza (109): Germany (Bavaria), wild birds, conf. 20070624.2041
                          Avian influenza (108): Germany (Bavaria), wild birds 20070624.2040
                          Avian influenza (106): Czech Republic, turkeys, DEFRA 20070622.2018
                          Avian influenza (105) - Czech Republic, turkeys 20070621.1999 ]
                          ....................arn/ejp/lm

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                            Originally posted by niman View Post
                            AVIAN INFLUENZA (09): UK (ENGLAND), SWAN
                            *****************************************

                            [The source of this outbreak is to be sought in wild birds;
                            ornithological assessment is anticipated. It will be also of great
                            interest to obtain information on the strain involved, particularly
                            its sequencing results highlighting its genetic profile and its
                            relationship with other recent isolates in the UK, in other European
                            countries, and elsewhere. - Mod.AS]

                            [
                            Easily the best promed commentary in YEARS!

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                              It was the right day for some good news about good faith reporting.

                              - Extrapolation

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: New bird flu fears as virus found in dead swans (England)

                                Commentary at

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X