Vigilance Is Vital Warns Minister, As Bird Flu Virus Creeps Closer Towards Britain

Summary

---

Britain is now braced for bird flu to reach its shores, with the public and the poultry industry urged to be vigilant following confirmation a duck in France had the deadly H5N1 strain. The Government said news the bird found near Lyon had died of the lethal strain of the virus made it 'more likely' bird flu would reach the UK. Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said it was not inevitable the disease would spread to Britain, but that the most important thing was to identify any outbreak quickly. Britain has had a contingency plan in place for three and a half years and was well prepared, he said. 'The veterinary advice is the risk of imminent infection in the UK is still low but we must remain vigilant,' he said. 'We are appealing to poultry keepers to be ready to house their birds should such an order be issued, which would happen if there were an outbreak to be found in this country,' he added. 'We are confident. We aren't complacent but we think we have got a good plan, we think the poultry industry are very well prepared.' But Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth called for the Government to show it had learned the lessons of foot- and-mouth and to put right the 'public information deficit' so people were prepared for any outbreak.

'There is a lot of confusion - for example, ministers talking about people bringing birds indoors. 'Well, if anyone thinks that taking their chickens into their home is going to be the right thing to do, they are sadly mistaken,' he said. Ornithological experts said unusually cold weather in continental Europe had sent wild birds infected with H5N1 west towards Britain in search of food and water. And as the lethal strain in birds spreads across Europe, fears were growing the disease could mutate into a form which is easily communicable from person to person, leading to a global human flu pandemic. John Oxford, professor of virology at London University, said the likelihood of a human avian flu pandemic was 'high and within a span of, say, 18 months'.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Vigilance Is Vital Warns Minister, As Bird Flu Virus Creeps Closer Towards Britain

'I'm not alone in thinking that because, again, the World Health Organisation has begged 250 governments around the world - most of which have ignored them - to take this view on and prepare for this outbreak,' he added.

'Because what we do not want is either a New Orleans situation or Tsunami situation - that is, you c...

See the full content of this document

---