Sixth bird flu case confirmed
Another wild swan succumbs to avian flu
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Saturday, 26, Jan 2008 04:09
A sixth case of avian flu has been confirmed in the Chesil Beach area of Dorset.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the wild mute swan had tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus after being found on January 21st.
Officials had ruled out a cull at the Abbotsford Swannery in the area, which holds over 1,000 mute swans, because such a move would not aid control over the situation.
The development follows initial confirmation of the presence of avian flu in three swans on January 10th, which led to the imposition of a 3km control area and 10km monitoring area.
Movement restrictions on poultry and other captive birds within the wild bird monitoring area were lifted at 15:00 GMT yesterday but Defra said it had no plans to reintroduce them.
A statement said confirmation of the sixth case was "not unexpected", adding it would continue its "enhanced surveillance" of wild birds in the area.
"There is currently no evidence to suggest widespread disease in the wild bird population, but poultry keepers in the area are reminded to remain vigilant and report any signs of disease immediately," Defra said.
There is no evidence of the disease in domestic birds while live swans sampled on the premises were found to be negative, it added.
Last November government officials were forced to cull over 28,000 birds in a bid to prevent an outbreak of avian flu in East Anglia.
Over 160,000 turkeys were slaughtered as a pre-emptive measure at a Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk in February.