Bird flu risk in humans 'extremely low'

Last updated at 16:49 06 April 2006


There is no risk to public health from bird flu, the Scottish Executive said today.

Despite confirmation that a swan found dead last week had the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, the Chief Medical Officer said the risk of the disease passing to humans was "extremely low".

Chief veterinary officer Charles Milne told an Edinburgh press conference that a "wild bird risk area" would be set up in a 2,500-square kilometre area to the east of the M90 motorway.

Within this area were 175 registered poultry premises with more than 50 birds, he said.

And in total, the area contained 3.1 million birds, of which 260,000 were free-range.

"We are proposing to issue a veterinary directive to owners of poultry to house their birds where possible," he said.

If this was not possible, they would be expected to put in place measures to separate their birds from wild birds.

Gatherings of birds in that area would be banned, and there would be enhanced surveillance of wild birds, he said.

Mr Milne said there were currently 14 cases of birds being checked for bird flu from Scotland.

These included 12 swans and two other species.

He added: "There is no indication that any of these are positive."

Two more swans have since been found dead sparking fears that the bird flu virus has spread.

The two latest birds, recovered by rangers in the last 24 hours in Richmond Park, Glasgow, have been sent to a veterinary centre for tests to determine whether they had the deadly HN51 strain of the virus. They were reported to Glasgow City Council by a member of the public.

Meanwhile, six dead swans were today reported to authorities in Northern Ireland in the wake of a confirmed case of bird flu in Scotland.

The Government said four carcasses were recovered in Portglenone, Co Antrim, and two in Moira, Co Down, this morning.

The remains will be tested at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's headquarters in Belfast in a move that has been standard practice for some time.

Bert Houston, chief veterinary officer for DARD, confirmed officials were working closely with their Scottish counterparts following the positive test in Fife.

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