UK bird flu plans 'in disarray'
UK bird flu plans 'in disarray'
5pm
UK bird flu plans 'in disarray'
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Thursday February 23, 2006 [/FONT]
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,1716407,00.html
[/FONT]British preparations to deal with the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu are "in disarray" and consist of finger-crossing and "prayers to the Almighty", a top virologist said today.
Professor John Oxford said the Department for Environment, Rural Affairs and the Regions (Defra) was failing to learn lessons from better-prepared countries of how to deal with the disease, which has spread across Europe in recent weeks.
Writing for Guardian Unlimited, Prof Oxford, of the Centre for Infectious Diseases at the Queen Mary School of Medicine, called for poultry to be brought indoors and vaccinated against bird flu, which has resulted in the deaths of 200m birds around the world since 2003.
British preparations for a human flu pandemic, which Prof Oxford described as world leading, have not been matched by plans for the avian form of flu, he writes.
"To put it mildly, [the UK bird flu plan] is in slight disarray, with a combination of disbelief that this virus could arrive, much finger-crossing and, I suspect, prayers to the Almighty that we might escape.
"Well, we have a kind of grand plan to cull everything that moves on two legs and has feathers in particular areas, and an assurance that everything is fine. I must admit, however, that I am worried - and I am not alone."
Prof Oxford, who is also a director of Retroscreen Virology, and whose work includes vaccine development, said he believed that the UK needs to follow the lead of the Netherlands, which along with France successfully gained EU permission to start vaccinating poultry this week.
After three years ago suffering an outbreak of the less dangerous H7N7 form of the disease, which led to the culling of 28m birds, Holland leads the world in the veterinary treatment of bird flu, he writes.
The Dutch government has examined more than 30,000 wild birds for signs of H5N1, while Defra has only analysed "a minuscule" 3,000 wild animals, Prof Oxford says.
He maintains that geese and other waterfowl, which have built up resistance to bird flu viruses and often show no symptoms of the disease, are likely to spread the disease. The recent Dutch outbreak began after contaminated droppings from migrating birds mixed with poultry flocks, he says.
"The government plan is to wait until there is "'confirmed' H5N1 and then to kick the grand plan into action, Prof Oxford writes. "But the huge weakness is that the virus may arrive quietly and spread before anyone is aware, as did foot and mouth.
"So, for a few weeks, feed organic and other domestic birds inside, and so break physical contact with migrators; then stockpile some H5N1 vaccine and vaccinate organic, free-range birds. Modern vaccines do work, stopping disease and more or less extinguishing the spread of the virus."
Yesterday, senior European vets on the EU's standing committee for the food chain and animal health authorised France and Holland to vaccinate poultry against bird flu despite concerns from other member states over its cost, the limitations of the vaccine and trade implications for EU export markets.
The British government was among those that expressed reservations, saying vaccination could mask symptoms of bird flu.
The deputy chief veterinary officer, Fred Landeg, said the early detection and slaughter of infected birds and the imposition of movement controls around the infected premises were the most effective ways to ensure the eradication of avian flu as swiftly and as effectively as possible.
Meanwhile, the French authorities today sealed off a turkey farm that vets suspect may have been infected by bird flu, the farming ministry said. An official statement said tests were being conducted at the farm, in the south-east of the country, where bird flu was discovered in a duck last week.
Earlier, a second case of bird flu was confirmed in a wild duck in France. The duck was found dead on Sunday in the village of Bouvent, in the Ain region, around 20 miles from Joyeux, where the first case was discovered.
Last week, the French government ordered all domestic birds indoors in most regions; in the others, it ordered vaccination programmes. Those who refuse to comply will face fines of up to €750 (£511).
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