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Bird flu found in mute swans on south coast
Three wild swans found dead in Dorset have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the Government confirmed today.
The birds were found in the Chesil Beach area of the county during routine surveillance.
A control area has been set up in the area, within which bird owners must isolate their flocks from wild birds.
No disease has been found in domestic birds, and a programme of surveillance of wild birds is to be carried out.
Defra said there were no plans to cull wild flocks as this may disperse birds further.
The Government's 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."
John Houston, general manager at Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd, said the dead birds were found by a member of staff at Abbotsbury Swannery and Defra was notified as part of standard procedure.
Three mute swans from the Swannery have been identified as having the deadly H5N1 virus, he said in a statement.
"Our main concern is the welfare of the swans, our staff and the general public," Mr Houston said.
"We are working closely with Defra to ensure that this outbreak is contained and that the number of swans affected is limited.
"We are also working with the Health Protection Agency to ensure that staff and public are fully protected."
The Abbotsbury Swannery is a reserve for free flying swans and wild birds and is part of an internationally important wetland.
The Swannery has been under the stewardship of the Ilchester Estates since 1541, although records of a Swannery on the site date back to 1354.
It is a seasonal tourist attraction which closed to the public on October 28 last year and is due to reopen on March 15.
An expert on infectious diseases said the latest bird flu outbreak may have been brought to the UK by migrating birds.
Dr Robert Paul Yeo, from Durham University's Wolfson Research Institute, said: "The source of the bird flu in this case could be migratory birds over-wintering in the UK.
"The virus is now being increasingly detected in birds all over Europe so unfortunately it was not unexpected that it would, once again, appear in the UK.
"It reinforces the need for monitoring wild bird deaths for the presence of the virus."
Ian Johnson, spokesman for the National Farmers' Union in the South West, 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.
"We have got to deal with it expediently but there is no need to panic as it appears to have been contained.
"Vigilance is important amongst poultry keepers but given a fair wind and cooperation in minding the controls, there is no reasons to believe it is anything but an isolated yet regrettable outbreak and we are working very closely with Defra."
All poultry keepers on the GB Poultry Register are being notified of the outbreak, Defra said, and the EU Commission has been informed.
The president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Nick Blayney, said vigilant surveillance had enabled prompt identification of the disease.
"While we must never be complacent about the risk of human disease," he said, "avian influenza is a disease of birds and given the number of outbreaks throughout the world in recent years it is important that we remain vigilant.
"Domestic flock owners are reminded of the need to protect their birds by following biosecurity guidelines and to continually monitor their birds' health."
Mr Blayney said members of the public could help the surveillance effort by reporting any local incidents such as large numbers of dead, dying or sick birds, to the Defra helpline on 08459 33 55 77.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Government was doing "everything we can" to prevent the spread of infection.
He said: "We have had to deal with this issue before and the important thing is that people know we have placed protection zones around the affected area."
Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said: "Clearly this is very disturbing news, especially because of the connection with the wild bird population.
"It is, of course, essential that poultry farmers and the public are vigilant in looking out for signs of the disease."
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which has two wetland nature reserves near Abbotsbury, said it would increase the surveillance of wild birds on its sites in Dorset, Devon and Somerset in response to today's outbreak.
Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's director of conservation, said: "We are facing yet another outbreak of bird flu, this time the circumstances are consistent with the disease arriving in wild birds.
"Worldwide, this virus has been transmitted via a variety of routes only one of which is through the movement of wild birds. Others include poultry movements, direct human transfer and the wild bird trade (which is) now banned in the European Union."
Dr Avery said it was still unclear how the virus had arrived in Dorset.
"It is unlikely to have involved the swans directly as this population is highly sedentary," he said.
Today's discovery comes less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The restriction zone, which covered parts of the two counties, was imposed following an outbreak of H5N1 on a free range turkey farm in November, and only removed on December 19.
Thousands of birds on six premises were culled in the wake of the outbreak, which Defra said had been contained to two farms in Suffolk.
In a preliminary report into the outbreak, Defra said wild birds could not be ruled out as the source of infection - although there was no evidence of H5N1 in wild birds in the area.
Epidemiological research found no evidence that the virus was introduced by infected poultry or poultry products, or by vehicles or people transporting them, from countries which have the disease in domestic flocks.
Next page: What do we know about Bird Flu? Bird Flu: Fact File
The positive tests of three dead swans for the H5N1 strain of bird flu come less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The wild swans were discovered in Dorset during routine surveillance and a control area has been set up.
The Government's acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg has emphasised that Britain is at a constant low level of risk of introduction of avian influenza.
Previously, a restriction zone which covered parts of Norfolk and Suffolk was imposed following an outbreak of H5N1 on a free range turkey farm in November. It was removed on December 19 and thousands of birds were culled in the wake of the outbreak.
Reassurances have been given that poultry products and eggs are still safe to eat because H5N1 is sensitive to heat and normal cooking procedures will kill it.
Fears the virus could ultimately mutate into a type easily passed between people have also been dismissed in the past by experts.
Four types of the virus in birds have so far been known to cause infections in humans: H5N1, H7N3, H7N7 and H9N2.
These lead only rarely to severe illness but H5N1 can lead to serious health problems and even death.
It is this virus that has infected hundreds of people, mainly in south east Asia, and caused 164 deaths between January 2003 and September 2006.
But all these cases resulted from close contact with wild birds and poultry and no infections have been spread from person to person.
Symptoms include a sore throat, aching muscles, lethargy, eye infections, breathing problems and chest pain and H5N1 can lead to death within days.
Antiviral drugs may help, but they must be given near the start of the illness.
Last February's outbreak of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews farm cost the British poultry industry 9.4 million in lost sales over a 12 week period, market analysts Nielsen said previously.
Figures released last May showed that UK turkey sales dropped 29% in the 12 weeks after the H5N1 virus was discovered, compared with the same period in 2006.
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