Bird flu swan 'from outside UK'
Bird flu swan 'from outside UK'
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Tuesday, 11, Apr 2006 07:54
The swan found dead from bird flu in Fife was probably from outside the UK, Scotland's chief vet said today.
Charles Milne stated that the swan was from a migratory species, leading to hopes that Britain has only experienced an isolated case of H5N1.
With no other birds in the region around Cellardyke found with the deadly virus, it is now likely that the swan caught the disease in an already infected country. Mr Milne said: "We are working on the assumption that the bird migrated to this country, but it's impossible to say precisely where it died."
A swan thought to be of a native mute breed was found dead in Cellardyke harbour in eastern Scotland on March 29th and tested positive for H5N1.
As mute swans are non-migratory this prompted fears that the disease had already spread to the UK's bird population and may lead to a mass cull.
However, DNA testing has shown the infected swan to be a whooper, which migrates from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia.
It is now possible that the bird died elsewhere and was washed up in Scotland, making it an isolated case.
Despite the new information, officials are still preparing the region for a "worst-case scenario" until there is more information, as the bird may still have contracted the disease in Britain.