Chief vet issues new alert over bird flu

[ruthbeme]

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By Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor




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</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=305 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>BRITAIN has stepped up its defences against the deadly strain of avian flu and is to increase surveillance at the most likely disease hotspots.


As thousands of wild birds return to these shores after spending the summer in the Arctic or in the Russian tundra, vets and ornithologists are on the alert for a possible outbreak of the H5N1 strain and other virulent forms of bird flu.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0 VALIGN="TOP"><TBODY><TR><TD id=mpuHeader name="mpuHeader"></TD></TR><TR align=right><TD align=right><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>NI_MPU('middle');</SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The areas deemed most at risk of triggering an outbreak are beaches, estuaries and other wetlands where gulls, geese, swans, ducks and waders gather in large numbers and which are near poultry farms.

Debby Reynolds, the Chief Veterinary Officer, has ordered intensive sampling of birds in priority areas, including the East of England coast, Morecambe Bay and the Solway Firth in the North West, the eastern coast of Scotland and the South Coast.

Teams of wildlife experts are being enlisted for the testing programme. Live birds will be tested and then released, and dead birds found in hotspots and birds shot for sport or pest control will also be examined.

Dr Reynolds said that the likelihood of finding a dead wild bird that had avian flu was very small. But she added: ?We are doing most work in areas where there is a greater likelihood of finding the virus, but we will continue to be vigilant in checking for avian influenza across the country.? The lethal flu virus was found in Britain last year in an imported parrot and in April a dead swan was identified with the virus at Cellardyke in Scotland. A low pathogenic strain of the flu also hit three poultry farms in Norfolk in April.



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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2363889,00.html

 

[Sharpe]

Re: Chief vet issues new alert over bird flu

The areas deemed most at risk of triggering an outbreak are beaches, estuaries and other wetlands where gulls, geese, swans, ducks and waders gather in large numbers and which are near poultry farms.

Perhaps it's in response to this:

(Friday, September 15) Dead birds found 'starved' on coast
Hundreds of seabirds are starving to death off Ulster's coast.
Close to 100 dead and dying guillemots have washed ashore on the beaches of south Down alone in the past few days.
Dead birds have also been discovered at Campbeltown and Loch Gilp, in Scotland.
Dr James Robinson, conservation manager with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the tragedy had began unfolding at the weekend.
"The guillemots began coming onshore at the weekend on Murlough Bay, Newcastle beach and Tyrella," he said.
"They were sent for testing and were found to have starved to death. Their stomachs were empty and they weighed less than 40 grams. There are no words to express how upset we are by this development."
Guillemots feed on spratt or small cod-like fish, but Dr Robinson said there was no question of overfishing.
He said there were lots of unknowns in ocean, but climate change could be a reason.
"I know in the North sea the distribution of fish is changing quite a lot,'' said Dr Robinson. ''These types of fish are moving northward to find cooler waters.
"We're not sure about the Irish sea ? we don't know if it's happening here ? but it is something we have to consider. It's something we have to start understanding a bit more about.''
Guillemots are one of several seabirds that breed on Rathlin Island in north Antrim.
This year, very few chicks reached fledging age following what the RSPB believes was a severe shortage of food over the summer.
Seabird colonies have also experienced a disastrous three years at colonies around Scotland due to the lack of food.
"It is the second year that the birds on Rathlin Island were hit so badly.
Guillemots, like other seabirds such as the puffin and razorbill, only come on land to lay their eggs and fledge young.
They spend the rest of the winter on the open sea, eating and sleeping in "rafts" on the water.
"The death of so many guillemots on the south Down coast will only add to the problems we recorded on Rathlin Island during the summer", said Dr Robinson.
15 September 2006