More British swans tests positive for H5N1 bird flu in UK
Pastor Dale Morgan
More British swans tests positive for H5N1 bird flu in UK*
21 Jan 2008 13:23:05 GMT
Source: Reuters
LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A fifth swan in southern England has tested
positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Britain's farm ministry
confirmed.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a
statement issued on Sunday that the swan was found in the same area as
the previous four cases.
"This is not unexpected, and Defra's enhanced surveillance of wild birds
in the area is continuing, including active patrols to look for dead
wild birds," the ministry said.
Earlier this month, the ministry said three wild swans in a bird
sanctuary in Dorset had died from the virus. Last week a fourth case was
confirmed.
"There is currently no evidence to suggest widespread disease in the
wild bird population," the ministy said, adding there was no evidence of
the disease in domestic birds.
Britain's first case of the strain was in a wild swan found dead in
Cellardyke in Scotland in 2006 and there have subsequently been
outbreaks at poultry farms in eastern England, most recently in November
2007.
The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 210 people worldwide since
2003 and millions of birds have either died from it or been killed to
prevent its spread. (Reporting by Nigel Hunt; Editing by Peter Blackburn)