Re: Scotland: bird flu confirmed in swan
Bird flu alert: infected swan is found in Fife
EBEN HARRELL, FERGUS SHEPPARD AND IAN JOHNSTON
* A dead swan found in Fife has tested positive for bird flu
* The tests have yet to prove if it is the H5N1 strain of the virus
* There is a 3km protection zone around the site at Cellardyke
Key quote "We must interrogate the forensics - how did the bird get there, was this the index case or was it another bird that brought it [the virus] here?” - Dr Freda Scott-Park
SCOTLAND was on bird-flu alert last night after scientists identified a suspected case in a dead swan in Fife.
Preliminary tests indicated it was a "highly pathogenic" strain of the H5 virus, but the Scottish Executive told the public not to panic and said it was too early to know if the bird had fallen victim to the deadly H5N1 strain.
However, experts told The Scotsman last night that it was likely it was H5N1, which has killed more than 100 people and resulted in the death of millions of birds around the world. One, Professor John Oxford, said: "It doesn't look too good ... it means the virus has arrived."
The dead swan, which was understood to be decomposed or to have pieces missing, making it difficult to examine, was found at Cellardyke, near Anstruther, on the harbour slipway.
Ministers placed a "protection zone" of at least 3km radius around the site and a further "surveillance zone" of 10km.
Cellardyke residents spoke of their shock. Maureen Macdonald, 40, said: "I heard about it from my husband who is in London, just back from Thailand. If he had not told me I would not know."
The swan was reportedly taken away from the site last Friday. The area is popular with visitors but Catherine Richardson, from the Haven pub on the harbour-front, said no-one was told of any danger. She said: "We have not been told anything and it was a busy weekend."
Robin Forsyth, 38, said: "I was told that seagulls were dive-bombing the body of the bird."
Janette Mizrak, manageress of the Boat Tavern, also on the harbour-front, said: "I think the first I knew about it was seeing the newsflash on TV and we have had customers phoning us up." Keepers of birds in the protection zone are being instructed to isolate their flocks from wild birds, taking them indoors if possible. Measures to restrict movements of poultry, eggs and poultry products in the protection and surveillance zones were also put into effect.
Samples from the swan were last night being sent for analysis at the EU's bird-flu laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey. A further test is expected to establish either today or tomorrow whether it is H5N1.
Police cars were stopping cars outside Anstruther to check no one was bringing live birds or poultry into the area.
Lesley Macdonald, NHS Fife Director of Public Health, commented: "Whilst avian influenza cannot be ruled out at this stage there is no reason for public health concern. Avian influenza is a disease of birds and whilst it can pass, with difficulty, to humans, this requires extremely close contact with infected poultry, particularly faeces. It is highly unlikely to be passed from human to human.
"However, if members of the public find dead birds, particularly in large numbers, they should not handle them and should call the helpline on 08459 335577."
Charles Milne, chief veterinary officer for Scotland, said the discovery was a "huge development" for Britain.
Speaking on BBC's Newsnight, he said: "This is the first time we have any indication we might have highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 strain in GB. And this has clear implications for our veterinary risk assessments and the action that we want to put in place."
If the virus is confirmed, it will be the first identified case in the UK. The H5N1 strain of bird flu emerged in Hong Kong in 1997. In the past three years it has swept through Asia and into Europe. It has killed 106 of the 186 humans it has infected, but these deaths have all been in people who have had close contact with poultry.
However, H5N1 bears similarities to previous influenza viruses responsible for pandemics that left millions dead. Scientists fear it is only a matter of time before it mutates into a deadly strain that will readily infect people. If that happens, experts warn hundreds of thousands of Britons could die.
Other witnesses in Anstruther confirmed that the dead swan had been found at the end of last week on a slipway at Cellardyke harbour. A sign was put up warning people not to go near and the bird was later removed. But one mother-of-three said: "We weren't told to stay away from the beach. We weren't told anything."
Last night, there was no sign of any police activity or cordon around the site.
John Oxford, professor of virology at St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital, said many more wild birds in the area were likely to be infected. "It doesn't look too good," he said. "It needs final confirmation from laboratory tests that it is H5N1 but the fact is, it is H5 .... there will be other wild birds around that are H5-positive. It means the virus has arrived.
"It is a big step away from a domestic chicken being infected, or even a human, but it could be the first little step."
Dr Freda Scott-Park, president of British Veterinary Association, who has a farm on the banks of Loch Lomond, said: "It has been confirmed it is an H5 strain - and it is highly pathogenic - for the first time in the British Isles. That means it is a significant find.
"The likelihood is that it is [H5N1], but until it is confirmed we won't know. We are just waiting to hear about the N1 bit."
She said it had been hard to work out whether the swan was a migrating bird or not, which will be key in trying to establish whether it was the "index case", the first to arrive, or whether it was infected by another bird. "We must interrogate the forensics - how did the bird get there, was this the index case or was it another bird that brought it [the virus] here?
"We must take heart from what's happened in France, where there haven't been any major outbreaks and it hasn't spread much beyond [one farm]." She urged the public to be sensible and continue to buy British poultry, saying the virus was not in farm flocks. Even if it did appear there, the virus is so virulent that any infected birds would die quickly and would not get into the food chain.
In any case, cooking would remove any chance of infection through food.
Last night, a UK-wide simulation of a bird flu outbreak was brought to an end to concentrate resources.
Professor Hugh Pennington, of the University of Aberdeen, said it was "no surprise" the virus had reached the UK.
"We are still as prepared as we could be. The people at risk are vets and people who look after sick birds. The general public is not at risk. The main thing is to make sure the virus does not get out of Fife or affect other birds in the locality."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=527702006
