Scotland: Bird flu alert: infected swan is found in Fife

The Scotsman ^ | 6 April 2006 | EBEN HARRELL, FERGUS SHEPPARD AND IAN JOHNSTON

[bd476]

Bird flu alert: infected swan is found in Fife

Swan populations across Scotland will come under
increased scrutiny as the birds are thought to be one
of the most prolific carriers.
Picture: Rob McDougall

• * 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

Story in full 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."

[bd476]

Reuters and Yahoo

H5 bird flu found in dead swan

April 5, 2006

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has found bird flu in a dead swan in Scotland, the government said on Wednesday.

Preliminary tests have confirmed a case of the H5 strain of the virus, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement.

More tests for the deadly H5N1 strain are under way and the results should be announced on Thursday.

"We are already in a high state of readiness," Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said in a statement.

She has cancelled a national bird flu exercise which began this week to test the country's response to any outbreak.

"I brought to an end the national avian influenza exercise to ensure that we can bring all our resources to bear on this situation."

Officials have set up a 3 km (1.8 mile) protection zone around where the swan was found in Fife, eastern Scotland.

Owners of birds within the zone have been told to take their birds indoors. A further 10 km surveillance zone is in force.

"Measures to restrict the movement of poultry, eggs and poultry products from these zones will be brought into effect immediately," the government statement said.

The European Union said it had been informed of the precautionary measures.

"In both the protection zone and the surveillance zone, on-farm biosecurity measures must be strengthened," the EU's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement. "Hunting of wild birds is banned and disease awareness of poultry owners and their families must be carried out."

Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer Charles Milne said the discovery was an "important development".

"Bird keepers outside the protection zone should redouble their efforts to prepare for bringing their birds indoors if that becomes necessary. They must also review their biosecurity measures."

Bird flu remains essentially an animal disease, but can infect people who come into direct contact with infected birds.

It has killed 108 people since late 2003, according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organisation.

(Additional reporting by Brussels newsroom)

H5 bird flu found in dead swan

[bd476]

Scotsman.com

Threat to poultry business worth £110m

The Scotsman Thu 6 April 2006

LOUISE GRAY AND PETER MACMAHON

JAMES Withers, of the National Farmers Union Scotland, said members had been expecting the virus to come to Scotland because the country is on a number of routes for migratory birds.

However, he admitted that the discovery of H5 was "a hugely concerning development" - and that poultry farmers in the protection zone must get birds inside.

The poultry business is worth £110 million to Scotland and produces 825,000 tonnes of poultry and 800 million eggs every year.

Mr Withers, the deputy chief executive of NFU Scotland, said: "The whole industry is on guard and we will be looking at these developments and working very closely with the Scottish Executive and vets over the next 24 hours to see how this unfolds."

Martin Dibley, the community councillor for Cellardyke and Anstruther - an area of small fishing villages popular with tourists - said he was shocked at the news. He added: "I have only just found out and am rather surprised. We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here."

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, in whose North East Fife constituency the bird was found, said he would follow the situation closely.

"I have spoken directly to the [DEFRA] minister, Ben Bradshaw, who has told me that there cannot be final confirmation until tomorrow," he said. "I have his assurance that all necessary steps will be taken and that there is no health risk to humans."

George Brechin, the chief executive of NHS Fife, and Douglas Sinclair, the chief executive of Fife Council, last night confirmed there was a suspected case of H5N1 bird flu in the Kingdom.

Mr Brechin said: "We are stressing that from the public health point of view, there is no immediate risk." NHS Fife is issuing guidelines to the public as a precaution, including warning people not to pick up dead birds and to avoid coming into contact with bird faeces.

Mr Sinclair said: "We have a contingency plan but the people in the lead on this are the rural affairs department of the Executive and DEFRA in London."

Threat to poultry business worth £110m

[bd476]

Across the Pond ... Ping.

[dfwgator]

Don Knotts died of the bird flu?

[blam]

Avian Flu Kills Swan In Scotland

[bd476]

Whew. That one went right over my head.

[bd476]

...a very delayed ROFL!

[bd476]

Thanks Blam!

[bd476]

Birds Government Taxes Quarantine Who will pay for it? Health Care Death Epidemic Insurance Bird flu Transmission

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CDC H5N1 business Migratory birds fly can fly 1,000 miles a day
1918 epidemic Isolation Avian Flu Immunization

[BurbankKarl]

good grief

[ozzymandus]

Doomed, I tells ya!! Just like Y2K, swine flu, flesh eating virus, mad cow, etc, etc, etc.

[bd476]

You might be right in your humorous sarcasm. There may be nothing to worry about.

Then again, mourning doves which can breed several times a year have a migratory range of a thousand miles.

Canadian Geese make the great trip South in the Fall, North in the Spring. Canadian scientists recently found the H5N1 Avian Flu in Canadian Geese.

[M. Espinola]

Now that the reverse Spring migration is underway it's only a matter of time before American and Canadian shores are confronting the same problem Scotland is currently.

[bd476]

M. Espinola wrote: "Now that the reverse Spring migration is underway it's only a matter of time before American and Canadian shores are confronting the same problem Scotland is currently."

That's what is so troubling. Migratory birds can fly at least a thousand miles.

[onyx]

You've outdone yourself, Miss Fancy Font.

I am soooooooooooo jealous.

I feed a whole lot of birds everyday.

(yikes)

[bd476]

LOL, thanks Onyx.

We don't have bird flu down here yet, but it won't hurt to listen to the news.

I love feeding seagulls. The first time I tried that, it was in Mission Bay, S.D. on the Bay. I ended up running out of bird food, then fed them dry cat food, ran out of that then fed them most of a huge bag of dog food.

[onyx]

We have cardinals, ring neck doves, finch, brown sparrows, blue jays, mocking birds and a family of woodpeckers in one of our 120 year old trees.

I feed them all, save for the woodpeckers who find their own food.

[BigSkyFreeper]

We have gold finches, red finches, barn sparrows, and robins. There are bluejays here, but I have yet to see one.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Oh, and we also have phesants, and around November you can see alot of prairie chickens waddling around outside on the snow.

[onyx]

It's still winter where you live. DUH.

Birds fly SOUTH for the winter, but mine live here year round. They're smart birds.

:)

[bd476]

That sounds like a large assortment of very lovely birds, Onyx. I wonder if their ancestors perched in the same trees a couple of hundred years ago.

[onyx]

GMTA! I have pondered that too. Of course I have pictures of this house and the tiny trees from the turn of the century, so I figure they didn't take up residence until the roaring 20's when the trees were grown enough to accomodate them.

[BigSkyFreeper]

It was 70 degrees here yesterday! Absolutely wonderful! I opened up the house and turned off the furnace.

:)

[BigSkyFreeper]

Some of those fatter gold finches in your feeders probably were in mine!

:)

[onyx]

Bless your heart.

At 70 degress outside, I would certainly hope you'd turn off your furnace. DUH.

:)

[blam]

"Canadian Geese make the great trip South in the Fall, North in the Spring. Canadian scientists recently found the H5N1 Avian Flu in Canadian Geese."

I was reading about migratory birds the other day and was amazed to read that Iron Head Ducks have been seen migrating at 30,000 feet. Unbelieveable but, true...apparently.

[BigSkyFreeper]

At 70 degress outside, I would certainly hope you'd turn off your furnace. DUH.

LOL!! Of course!

The Boys sure liked it. They got to be outside all day. (I'm baby-sitting the folks' two little dogs until Friday - a Corgie, and a West Highland Terrier)

:)

[blam]

"It was 70 degrees here yesterday! Absolutely wonderful! I opened up the house and turned off the furnace. "

Furnace?

I've had the AC on all week.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Well, you ain't in Montana.

:)

[blam]

"Well, you ain't in Montana. "

Tell me. I've already cut the grass four times this year. But I do have my hurricane, Bird Flu and war with Iran supplies already stocked up. We've just had the driest March ever recorded (I got zero) and Mobile is one of the wettest cities in the world.

[BigSkyFreeper]

LOL!! The grass is too "dead" yet to cut here. I gave it one last cut before the first snowstorm last fall, and it's still short.

[Alamo-Girl]

Buuump!

[WorkingClassFilth]

Canadian scientists recently found the H5N1 Avian Flu in Canadian Geese.

Good. I've been hoping for an excuse to exterminate those flying carp.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Ok, I see no one else on this thread has said it, so I guess it's up to me:

It's Bush's fault!!

[lainie]

Pardon me, I'm currently not watching much news (out of town at the moment) but why is the fact that a swan got the bird flu worldwide heinous news, exactly? Aren't swans birds?

[BurbankKarl]

to whip up excitement...bd476, did you see the *larger* shaker at San Simeon? they are having an increasing swarm

[lainie]

Oh. Well, color me unimpressed.

Seriously. Bird gets bird flu, film at 11?