H5N1 bird flu strain found on British farm; 159,000 turkeys killed
Updated 2/4/2007 9:55 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this
British experts said eating well-cooked poultry and eggs poses no health risk, but that close contact with sick birds — like slaughtering and plucking — can transmit the disease in rare instances.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Officials confirmed that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in turkeys on a commercial farm, Britain's first mass outbreak of the disease that has ravaged Asia's poultry stocks and killed more than 160 people worldwide.
The virus strain that killed about 2,500 turkeys on the British poultry farm was identified as the highly pathogenic Asian strain, similar to a virus found in Hungary in January, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said.
It was the first time the deadly H5N1 strain was found on a British farm.
Last month, Hungarian officials killed thousands of geese after H5N1 was detected in the southeast of the country — the first known case of the strain within the European Union since August 2006.
Workers on Saturday began gassing thousands of turkeys on the British farm. Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said all 159,000 turkeys would be culled as part of measures to contain the outbreak. The virus was found in only one of the farm's 22 turkey sheds, he said.
Bernard Matthews PLC, Europe's largest turkey producer, confirmed it owned the affected farm about 130 miles northeast of London.
A newspaper claimed authorities had not been informed of illness in the turkeys for two days. The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that the first 71 birds died Tuesday, but veterinary authorities were not told of the outbreak until Thursday.
The newspaper quoted Conservative agriculture spokesman Jim Paice as saying the "delays and lack of discipline are totally unacceptable."
Bird flu has killed or prompted the culling of millions of birds worldwide since late 2003, when it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks. It has killed at least 164 people worldwide, but remains difficult for humans to catch.
Experts fear it could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a global pandemic. So far, most human cases have been traced to contact with sick birds.
The English outbreak is the first known instance of H5N1 in Britain since an infected wild swan was found in Scotland in March. Turkeys and chickens are more susceptible to H5N1 than wild birds, who can carry the virus over long distances without showing symptoms.
Veterinary authorities were enforcing a 2-mile exclusion zone and a 6.5-mile "low risk" surveillance zone around the infected farm. All poultry within the zones must be kept indoors, and poultry must be isolated from wild birds within an 800-square-mile restriction zone in eastern England. Events such as bird shows and pigeon racing were banned, DEFRA said.
The European Commission said EU food and animal health experts would discuss the outbreak on Tuesday and review British measures to contain the disease.
In France, Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau ordered the government food safety agency to evaluate the country's current risk level, a ministry statement said. France was hit a year ago by the deadly virus at a turkey farm in the southeast.
U.N. flu coordinator Dr. David Nabarro said such outbreaks are now a fact of life. He said experts had anticipated commercial flocks in Europe and elsewhere could be infected by migrating wild birds during the northern winter months.
"This virus is going to be in bird populations for years to come, and the way in which we'll deal with it is by implementing the well-rehearsed plan to stamp it out at source," he told British Broadcasting Corp. television. "We have to learn to accept that and not see it as a serious problem and just get on with normal poultry rearing and consumption."
Experts stressed the situation did not pose a public health threat, and that eating well-cooked poultry products posed no risk. However, close contact with sick birds, such as in slaughtering or plucking, could lead to the disease being transmitted.
"There is no need for immediate concern, but we do need to identify the source of the virus," said bird flu expert Colin Butter of the Institute of Animal Health. "If the virus has come from the wild bird population, we need to know which birds and how much of the population has been affected."
Last year, the H5N1 virus was discovered in countries in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. The World Health Organization has warned that a repeat is possible this year, encouraging countries to remain on high alert.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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