Wild Birds with H5N1 in England 2008

[HenryN]

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

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

Swans test negative for bird flu

Three dead wild swans test positive for deadly bird flu




Two dead swans have tested negative for the H5N1 strain of bird flu at a reserve where three birds were earlier found infected with the deadly virus.
The three infected swans were found at the Abbotsbury Swannery, an open reserve in the Chesil Beach area of Dorset on December 27, 31 and January 4.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that two more dead swans found in the area have tested negative for the H5N1 strain.

John Houston, general manager at Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd, said: "It's good news but it's too early days to be excited by it."

Another dead swan was found along the Fleet lagoon at the historic tourist attraction on Saturday and will be sent for testing.

It takes the total number of dead swans found in the area to ten since December 27, said Mr Houston.

Tests were being carried out on the dead birds at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybr idge and a Defra spokeswoman said: "There are other birds being tested.

"We expect there to continue being birds tested not least because the public are vigilant at the moment which is great because that means the surveillance is more effective."

Mr Houston said the numbers of dead swans found was lower than usual for January. "It's not unusual for birds to die in the winter of natural causes," he said. "In fact, there are less dying at the moment than usual because it's quite warm. Until I hear otherwise I'm going to assume the best."

Defra has set up control and monitoring areas around the Abbotsbury site to try to contain the outbreak, with severe movement restrictions applying within the zones. The discovery comes less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.



Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.


The full article contains 321 words and appears in Press Association newspaper.
Last Updated: 12 January 2008 4:17 PM

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/latest-national-news/Swans-test-negative-for-bird.3661580.jp

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Swans test negative for bird flu in UK

12/01/2008 - 4:15:00 PM

Two dead swans have tested negative for the H5N1 strain of bird flu at a UK reserve where three birds were earlier found infected with the deadly virus.

The three infected swans were found at the Abbotsbury Swannery, an open reserve in the Chesil Beach area of Dorset, England on December 27, 31 and January 4.

The British Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) today confirmed that two more dead swans found in the area have tested negative for the H5N1 strain.

John Houston, general manager at Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd, said: “It’s good news but it’s too early days to be excited by it.”

Another dead swan was found along the Fleet lagoon at the historic tourist attraction today and will be sent for testing.

It takes the total number of dead swans found in the area to ten since December 27, said Mr Houston.

Tests were being carried out on the dead birds and a Defra spokeswoman said: “There are other birds being tested.
“We expect there to continue being birds tested not least because the public are vigilant at the moment which is great because that means the surveillance is more effective.”Mr Houston said the numbers of dead swans found was lower than usual for January.

“It’s not unusual for birds to die in the winter of natural causes,” he said. “In fact, there are less dying at the moment than usual because it’s quite warm. Until I hear otherwise I’m going to assume the best.”

Defra has set up control and monitoring areas around the Abbotsbury site to try to contain the outbreak, with severe movement restrictions applying within the zones.

The Abbotsbury Swannery is a reserve for free flying swans and wild birds and is part of an internationally important wetland.

It is a seasonal tourist attraction which closed to the public on October 28 last year and is due to reopen on March 15.

The discovery comes less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk in England.

http://www.eecho.ie/news/story/?trs=mheyeykfcwkf

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Dead swans test negative for Bird Flu

Two dead swans have tested negative for the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the UK.
They were discovered at a reserve in the Chesil Beach area of Dorset where three birds were found to have the virus.
Others are still being examined.
Defra has set up control and monitoring areas around the site to try to contain the outbreak.

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-...ative-for-bird-flu-1264845.html?service=Print

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01120802/H5N1_England_Swans_Another.html

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01120802/H5N1_England_Swans_Another.html

 

[HenryN]

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

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>Swans test negative for bird flu

</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>

The site attracts many wild swans

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF -->Two dead swans found near the site of an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu have tested negative for the virus.
Three infected swans were found at the Abbotsbury Swannery, an open reserve in the Chesil Beach area of Dorset, on 27 and 31 December and 4 January.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the other two swans did not have the virus but said other birds were still being tested.
Restrictions have been placed on movements of captive birds nearby. <!-- E SF -->
<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5>

</TD><TD class=sibtbg>

It's good news but it's too early days to be excited by it

John Houston
Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->
Tests were carried out at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, Surrey.
John Houston, general manager at Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd, said: "It's good news but it's too early days to be excited by it."
Ten dead swans have been found in the area since 27 December, said Mr Houston.
"It's not unusual for birds to die in the winter of natural causes. In fact, there are less dying at the moment than usual because it's quite warm. Until I hear otherwise I'm going to assume the best," he added.
A Defra spokeswoman said: "There are other birds being tested.
"We expect there to continue being birds tested not least because the public are vigilant at the moment which is great because that means the surveillance is more effective."
The control area extends about 15 miles (25km) to the south-east of Abbotsbury, including the towns of Weymouth, Chesil Beach and the Portland Bill headland, while a larger monitoring area of about 20 miles (32km) also includes the town of Dorchester. The Abbotsbury Swannery is a reserve for free-flying swans and other wild birds. The H5N1 discovery comes month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7184569.stm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

A quote from site manager John Houston at Abbotsbury Swannery:


"I was told by Defra that they've seen outbreaks in wild ducks, but the ducks have built up immunity to the virus.

"If that happens here, then it will be ideal because we can carry on as normal."

http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.1961092.0.nine_swans_dead_as_bird_flu_concern_grows.php


This raises some questions.

credits Solitaire

 

[HenryN]

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

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

A quote from site manager John Houston at Abbotsbury Swannery:


"I was told by Defra that they've seen outbreaks in wild ducks, but the ducks have built up immunity to the virus.

"If that happens here, then it will be ideal because we can carry on as normal."

http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.1961092.0.nine_swans_dead_as_bird_flu_concern_grows.php


This raises some questions.

credits Solitaire

Dead birds do fly.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

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

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01120802/H5N1_England_Swans_Another.html

Commentary http://www.recombinomics.com/feed.xml

Another Dead Mute Swan in England

Recombinomics Commentary 17:27
January 12, 2008

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that two more dead swans found in the area have tested negative for the H5N1 strain.

Another dead swan was found along the Fleet lagoon at the historic tourist attraction on Saturday and will be sent for testing.

It takes the total number of dead swans found in the area to ten since December 27, said Mr Houston.

Tests were being carried out on the dead birds at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge and a Defra spokeswoman said: "There are other birds being tested.

The above comments describe results on the two swans collected on Tuesday, but the swan found today brings the total to five for the past three days, providing additional support for more positives in the mute swans dying in the Fleet lagoon (see satellite map).

The three positives were collected over a one week period, signaling an H5N1 source in the region. Moreover, the swans can infect each other, so more swans should test H5N1 positive.

Although there many be 20-30 swan deaths in a cold January, the weather has been warm in southern England, so five deaths in three days are above normal. Moreover, the news of the positives will lead to more citizens calling in dead birds.

Positive bird flu results are dependent on the condition of the sample, and the sensitivity of the testing. Recent data suggests mute swans had a higher viral load in experimental infections, which may be why they are among the most common host for H5N1 positive samples. Increased awareness should lead to collection of fresh samples.

The recent announcement that the sequences from the mute swans were most closely related to H5N1 from wild birds in the Czech Republic implies that the sequences do not match the earlier outbreak in free range turkey in Suffolk, indicating independent wild bird introductions.

Thus, the endemic H5N1 in England should become more evident if surveillance is increased.

.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

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

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

POULTRY INDUSTRY 'FACING DISASTER'

<!-- Story Comment Cheks start --><!-- Story Comments Check End --><!--Task# 668 - Quizzes - START--><!--Task# 668 - Quizzes - END-->LOUISE VENNELLS

11:00 - 12 January 2008
<!-- Task 1419 Providing link to display the trailer by mukul----START --><!-- Task 1419 Providing link to display the trailer by mukul-END -->

<!-- Code added for entertainment - added by anjana --><!-- Code end for entertainment - added by anjana -->The poultry sector in Britain could be wiped out by a "catalogue of disasters" culminating in the latest bird flu outbreak, an industry leader has warned.

Yesterday, officials were investigating more dead swans discovered in and around the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, after three found on Thursday tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.

The results of the latest tests are expected over the weekend.


<!-- DIV added for task NFT00001396 -->Twelve members of staff on the site are being given a basic flu jab and a course of medication as a precaution, after it was thought they could have been in contact with the birds.

The Health Protection Agency has said there is "almost no chance" of humans catching the virus, which can kill birds within 24 hours.

Farmers are on red alert, but yesterday they said the discovery of more wild swan carcasses did not make the situation worse, as avian flu still has not infiltrated domestic flocks.

It is the first time the virulent disease has been identified so close to Devon and Cornwall.

But John Riddell, chairman of the National Farmers' Union's South West poultry board, last night painted a bleak picture of the sector's future, and said poultry farmers were already going out of business.

"We thought the beginning of 2007 was bad because we had an avian influenza outbreak in Britain - but so far, 2008 has just been one disaster after another," he said.

Mr Riddell said the need to step up bio-security measures would cost farmers money, and the industry had been damaged by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's series of programmes urging people to buy free- range, which aired earlier this week.

Mr Riddell said the chef's campaign could contribute to the poultry sector dying out in the UK but cheap imports from countries such as Thailand and Brazil, where bird welfare is not an issue, would fill the void.

Mr Riddell, who farms in south Somerset, said poultry farmers were already reeling from a 60 per cent rise in grain prices, while producers had seen no rise in the price paid for their birds.

"This combination of factors brings us very close to being wiped out as an industry," he warned.

Of more than 100 poultry farmers he had on his contact list in the South West five years ago, more than half had already gone out of business, he said.

Mr Riddell added that the free- range sector currently accounts for five per cent of chickens consumed nationally. And he said most free- range producers earned their main income by other means, and could not hope to match the 800 million birds eaten in Britain each year.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall was unavailable to comment.

National Farmers' Union spokesman Ian Johnson said all poultry keepers were facing economic pressure - particularly as the sector receives no subsidy.

"There's a tremendous amount of pressure, and the margins they work to are extremely tight," he said. "It only takes a very small breeze to blow them on to the rocks. The problem is that at the moment, everything is coming at them simultaneously."

Yesterday, Abbotsbury staff member David Wheeler, who is among those receiving medication, said: "There's no reason to worry. Having said that, we could lose one or two more, you can't predict. We know that swans can be susceptible.

"We are just coping with the situation that has occurred.

"We have known about it for years. We have been monitoring and we realised it could come at any time.

"We certainly didn't want it to come, it's not good news, but we are going to deal with it."

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which has two wetland nature reserves near Abbotsbury, said it would increase the surveillance of wildfowl on its sites in Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Restrictions in place in Dorset involve a control area which extends about 15 miles (25km) to the South-East of Abbotsbury, and includes the town of Weymouth, Chesil Beach and the Portland Bill headland, while the larger monitoring area of some 20 miles (32km) also covers the town of Dorchester.

The limitations, which will be in place for at least three weeks, are also bad news for gamekeepers, as it means the shooting season has in effect finished early within the zones.

John Mortimer, South West director of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "Shooting represents a significant income stream for many farms and estates.

"This ban will have a serious economic impact on the area."

.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

<CENTER>Swans: no new bodies found

</CENTER>STAFF at Abbotsbury Swannery are praying that birds there are building up an immunity to deadly bird flu.
No more dead swans have been found in the area since two tested negative for the H5N1 strain before the weekend.
The total number of dead animals there remains at nine since bird flu was confirmed last week.
Abbotsbury Tourism general manager John Houston said: "This is a step in the right direction for these wonderful animals to be saved for everyone to see in the spring.
"Thankfully no more dead swans have been found but obviously checks will continue at first light today.
"The last two negative results were very encouraging. But this is still very early days."
He added: "There might be a situation where the swans build up an immunity to the virus and are no longer affected.
"That is something we would hope to grow into and this is an encouraging first step."
Dead swans found along the Fleet have undergone testing for H5N1 since the first outbreak of bird flu in the UK about two years ago.
Three infected swans were discovered on December 27, 31 and January 4.
Mr Houston said: "There is ongoing monitoring and we are searching the Fleet for any signs of sick or dead swans.
"The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will carry on collecting them and doing testing."
Last week farmers neighbouring the swannery hit out at Defra for the way the outbreak was handled and a delay in information. Since the outbreak a control area around Abbotsbury Swannery was established about 15 miles to the south-east, including Weymouth, Chesil Beach and the Portland Bill headland.
A larger monitoring area of about 20 miles includes Dorchester.
The discovery of H5N1 came a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Bird carcasses have been tested at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, Surrey.
11:17am today


By Sarah Goldthorpe

http://www.thisisdorset.net/misc/print.php?artid=1962734

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

OIE-report:

http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=6675

 

[vinny]

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

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

those yellow dots on the map arent cases of the virus surely........?

 

[HenryN]

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

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

those yellow dots on the map arent cases of the virus surely........?

Yellow dots tested negative.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

OIE report indicates 2 of the 3 swans were asymptomatic

Between 27 December and 4 January three swans were found in Abbotsbury Swannery and the vicinity in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset. Preliminary reports suggest that two of the swans were still alive when found but were euthanised due to injuries.
According to EU and national legislations wild bird control and monitoring areas are now set up. The boundaries of these areas are set with reference to the places where the birds were found, while also taking into account the location of local bird reserves and the presence of wild bird populations along the Dorset coastline towards Portland Bill. The boundary of the control area is set at 3 km from the relevant points where the birds were found; the monitoring area at 10 km.
No evidence of disease has been found in domestic birds. Epidemiological inquiry is underway.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Immediate notification report​

Report reference: , Ref OIE: 6675, Report Date: 11/01/2008 , Country: United Kingdom​

Report Summary​

Disease​

​

​

Highly pathogenic avian influenza Animal type Terrestrial​

Causal Agent​

​

​

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Serotype(s) H5N1​

Clinical Signs​

​

​

No Reason Reoccurrence of a listed disease​

Date of confirmation of Event​

​

​

10/01/2008 Date of Start of Event 27/12/2007​

Date of report​

​

​

11/01/2008 Date Submitted To OIE 11/01/2008​

Diagnosis​

​

​

Laboratory (advanced) Date Of Last Occurrence 11/2007​

Number Of Reported Outbreaks​

​

​

Submitted= 1, Draft= 0 Name of Sender of the report Dr Fred Landeg​

Address​

​

​

Area 303
1A Page Street London SW1P 4PQ​

Position​

​

​

Acting Chief Veterinary Officer​

Telephone​

​

​

+44 (207) 904 6139​

Fax​

​

​

+44 (207) 904 6242​

Email​

​

​

fred.landeg@defra.gsi.gov.uk​

Entered by​

​

​

Mme Margarita Alonso​

Outbreak (this report - submitted)​

ENGLAND Dorset Unit Type Location Latitude Longitude Start End​

ENGLAND Dorset Not applicable Abbotsbury 50,6532 -2,6025 27/12/2007​

Species Measuring units Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered​

Wild species Animals 3 3 3 0 0​

Affected Population​

​

​

Wild bird reserve near Abbotsbury on the Dorset coast near Chesil beach.​

Outbreak summary: Total outbreaks = 1 (Submitted)​

Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered​

Wild species 3 3 3 0 0​

Epidemiology​

Epidemiological comments​

Between 27 December and 4 January three swans were found in Abbotsbury Swannery and the vicinity in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset. Preliminary reports suggest that two of the swans were still alive when found but were euthanised due to injuries.
According to EU and national legislations wild bird control and monitoring areas are now set up. The boundaries of these areas are set with reference to the places where the birds were found, while also taking into account the location of local bird reserves and the presence of wild bird
populations along the Dorset coastline towards Portland Bill. The boundary of the control area is set at 3 km from the relevant points where the birds were found; the monitoring area at 10 km.
No evidence of disease has been found in domestic birds. Epidemiological inquiry is underway.​

Source of Infection​

​

​

? Unknown or inconclusive
Printed on: Mon Jan 14 13:16:25 Paris, Madrid 2008 Page 1/3​

Control Measures​

Applied​

​

​

? Movement control inside the country
? Screening
? Zoning​

To be applied​

​

​

? No Planned Control Measures​

Animals treated​

​

​

No​

Vaccination Prohibited​

​

​

No​

Country / Zone​

Country or zone​

​

​

the whole country​

Diagnostic test results​

Laboratory Type Name of Laboratory Species Test Type Date Results Provided Result​

Regional Reference Laboratory VLA Weybridge Wild species nucleotide sequencing 10/01/2008 Positive
OIE?s Reference Laboratory VLA Weybridge Wild species real-time PCR 10/01/2008 Positive​

Future Reporting​

What further reports will be submitted in relation to this event?​

There are 1outbreaks that are still recorded as unresolved. It is not possible to declare this event resolved until these individual outbreaks are resolved.​

Immediate notification report. Report reference: , Ref OIE: 6675,

http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/reports/en_imm_0000006675_20080111_131625.pdf

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01140801/H5N1_England_Accident.html

 

[AlaskaDenise]

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

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01140801/H5N1_England_Accident.html

Commentary

H5N1 in England Detected by Accident?

Recombinomics Commentary 21:27
January 14, 2008

Between 27 December and 4 January three swans were found in Abbotsbury Swannery and the vicinity in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset. Preliminary reports suggest that two of the swans were still alive when found but were euthanised due to injuries.

The above comments from the OIE report released today suggest the H5N1 found in England (see satellite map) may have literally be found by accident. If the two swans injured by accident had not be found and euthanized, there would have only been one dead swan in the period between December 27 and January 4, and the one dead swan may have not been sent for testing, or missed in the screening.

Although DEFRA asks for reports of dead birds, they frequently discourage reporting of single dead birds. The surveillance in the past has been poor, and the recent detection of H5N1 involved a single whooper swan on the shores of Scotland in 2006, as well as the more recent outbreak in free range turkeys in Suffolk. In 2006 and 2007 there were also H7N3 and H7N2 outbreaks in domestic poultry, but the wild bird sources for the three domestic poultry outbreaks were never identified.

The OIE report suggests that two of the H5N1 infected birds were asymptomatic, and it is not clear that the infection contributed to the accidental injuries. H5N1 is rarely found in live asymptomatic birds, but a recent report suggests that mute swans may be one species that sheds higher levels of the Qinghai strain of H5N1, the strain reported for all outbreaks west of China.

Recently, Germany also reported H5N1 in an asymptomatic grebe, and like both recent H5N1 outbreaks in England, the outbreak involved the Uva Lake variant of the Qinghai strain.

Finding H5N1 in asymptomatic wild birds suggests infections are widespread in Europe, as H5N1 expends its geographical reach under the radar of existing surveillance programs.

.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

H5N1 strain in swans similar to cases in Eastern Europe last year
15/01/2008 17:00:00 FWi

The strain of H5N1 avian flu virus discovered in the latest outbreak in Dorset is more similar to cases in Eastern Europe late last year than that in East Anglia last November, according to a written ministerial statement issued by Hilary Benn earlier today.

Three dead wild mute swans in the Chesil Beach area in Dorset tested positive for the H5N1 highly pathogenic strain of avian flu on 9 January. The carcasses had been collected between 27 December 2007 and 4 January Two were found through regular patrols by staff (Abbotsbury Swannery) as part of DEFRA's routine dead wild bird surveillance programme, and a third was found by a member of the public.

<!-- Altering or removing this link is a breach of the Vizu Terms and Conditions -->The statement defended the delay by explaining that as there was no immediate cause to suspect disease, and as the cases did not appear unusual given mortality rates among the local swan population, the swannery held the carcasses until 7 January before being tested as part of the wild bird surveillance programme. He confirmed that a full epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the source of infection.

"We are also carrying out increased surveillance in the area to look for any further dead wild birds for testing, in addition to our routine collection and testing of certain species of dead wild birds in areas of the rest of the country with higher wild bird and poultry density."

All premises in the Control Area with domestic poultry are being visited by Animal Health staff to look for presence of disease.

"We are making a rapid assessment of the risk to captive birds and poultry in the wider area so that we can consider whether we need to further enhance surveillance of wild and captive birds, and advise local poultry keepers about preventative measures they should take."

However, the good news for poultry producer in the statement is that as these new cases have been found in wild birds, DEFRA's intention for the UK to regain its "officially free" status later this year is not affected. This is important for the resumption of exports of poultry and poultry products to non-EU countries.

Targeted surveillance for avian flu in wild birds is in place throughout the UK and focuses on species that are most likely to spread the disease and on high risk areas where there is a greater abundance of poultry and waterfowl.

There have been over 2000 patrols undertaken since the start of this migration period in September/October at over 200 sites.
<!--link colour -->
by Richard Allison (About this Author)

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2008/...-similar-to-cases-in-eastern-europe-last.html

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Written Ministerial Statement by Hilary Benn on the Avian influenza case in Dorset - 15 January 2008 <!-- #EndEditable --><!--End of title--><!--Central Content Area text--><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="body" -->
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn)

Between 27 December and 4 January three mute swans were found in a swannery and its vicinity near Chesil Beach; preliminary reports suggest that two of the swans were still alive when located but were euthanased due to injuries and poor condition. The third was already dead. Two were found through regular patrols by the swannery’s staff as part of Defra’s routine dead wild bird surveillance programme, and a third was found by a member of the public.
Targeted surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds is in place throughout the UK and focuses on species that are most likely to spread the disease and on high risk areas where there is a greater abundance of poultry and waterfowl. More than six thousand birds were tested last year alone. The numbers of birds tested is in part dependent on the numbers of birds found dead by regular patrols of certain wetland reserves or reported by the public. There have been over 2000 patrols undertaken since the start of this migration period in September/October at over 200 sites . The number of dead birds can be lower during a milder year. No cuts have been made to active patrolling or testing and in some areas patrolling has been increased due to national and international avian influenza incidents.
In the case of the swans found in Dorset, there was no immediate cause to suspect disease, and as the cases did not appear unusual given mortality rates among the local swan population, the Swannery held the carcasses until Monday 7 January, when they first reported them to Defra. The Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), which is Defra’s contracted collection agent for the wild bird surveillance programme, then collected the carcasses and delivered them on the same day to the local regional laboratory of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency at Starcross in Exeter. There, post mortem examinations and sample collections were carried out prior to courier dispatch of the samples for Avian Influenza testing at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), in Weybridge, Surrey, which is the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza. This was conducted as part of routine surveillance, and the collection, storage and transportation of the samples to the laboratory, and their testing, were entirely consistent with international standards.
On the evening of Wednesday 9 January, preliminary results indicated the presence of H5N1 (but not the pathogenicity). The VLA immediately informed Defra which sought expert ornithological advice on the following day about the restrictions that might be needed. At lunchtime on 10 January, following further laboratory tests, the Acting Chief Veterinary Officer was able to confirm that highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza had been found in the three swans.
Wild Bird Control and Monitoring Areas were immediately put in place around the swannery. The boundary of the control area has been set to meet EU requirements for a 3km minimum radius, and encompasses an appropriate area around Chesil beach and Portland Bill. The boundary of the monitoring area meets the minimum requirement for a 10km radius and an appropriate area around the Wild Bird Control Area. The boundaries were determined following advice from expert ornithologists who took into consideration the location of local bird reserves and the presence of wild bird populations. This advice also gives us some confidence that birds in this area have not moved widely and therefore there is no scientific justification for requiring birds to be housed, or bird gatherings to be banned, in the rest of the country outside the Wild Bird Monitoring Area.
Inside these Areas, no poultry or other captive bird movements from premises are permitted, all birds must be housed or otherwise isolated from contact with wild birds, no wild birds may be hunted, and all bird gatherings are banned. Biosecurity measures apply on premises where poultry or captive birds are kept. We are currently working with industry to determine the availability of licenses for movements from premises and for hunting of wild birds.
Soon after confirmation, Defra (using the Poultry Register) sent a text message to all those who had registered a mobile phone number with the register. Two messages were sent; one to keepers in the Control and Monitoring Areas, and one to all those in England and Wales. Known keepers registered on Animal Health's database - excluding those who had already received a message via the poultry register - were also sent a voicemail message.
On 11 January, information packs were posted to all known poultry premises in the Control and Monitoring Areas. These packs have also been distributed by Animal Health vets during surveillance visits in the field.
One member of the public and eleven reserve staff have been assessed for possible risk to their health by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), seven of whom have been given precautionary courses of anti-viral drugs because of their close contact with infected or potentially infected birds. None of these people is ill. Vaccination with seasonal human influenza vaccines has also been administered to this group of people. The HPA advise that the risk to the general public is very low.
While surveillance and testing continue, no evidence of disease has been found in domestic poultry or other captive birds. There will be no culling of wild birds because such action might disperse birds further creating a risk of disease spread. While our policy on vaccination is kept under continuous review, experts advise us that it would not assist disease control in this case.
A full epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the source of infection. The strain of the virus identified is very similar to that causing the cases confirmed in the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland mid to late last year. It is less similar to that found in East Anglia in November. We are also carrying out increased surveillance in the area to look for any further carcasses of wild birds for testing, in addition to our routine collection and testing of certain species of dead wild birds in areas of the rest of the country with higher wild bird and poultry density. All premises in the Control Area with domestic poultry are being visited by Animal Health staff to look for presence of disease. We are making a rapid assessment of the risk to captive birds and poultry in the wider area so that we can consider whether we need to further enhance surveillance of wild and captive birds, and advise local poultry keepers about preventative measures they should take.
Trade in poultry and poultry products to other EU member states from outside the control and monitoring areas can carry on largely unaffected. Exports of poultry and poultry products to non-EU countries are already very limited because, following the H5N1 outbreak in Suffolk in November last year, the UK is currently not officially free from avian influenza according to the OIE - the World Organisation for Animal Health. As these new cases have been found in wild birds our intention to regain our "officially free" status later this year is not affected.
I wish to stress as before that avian influenza is largely a disease of birds. The virus does not easily cross from birds to infect humans; in almost all instances, such transmission requires extremely close contact with infected birds, particularly faeces. The fact that disease has been found in wild birds rather than poultry makes no difference to the human health risk.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those in Defra, Animal Health, other partners and especially the relevant local authorities for their usual professional and rapid response.
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