Thousands of secret testsin Britain to find first signs of avian flu epidemic
URGENT tests on wild birds and poultry to find out the potential threat of an avian flu epidemic in Britain are taking place throughout the country.
At least 11,000 tests are expected to be completed by Christmas in Britain — three times the normal annual figure — and these will be analysed to see if there is a reservoir of the deadly flu strain H5N1 that has caused the deaths of 60 people and led to the culling of 125 million birds in southeast Asia. The testing is part of a European-wide offensive to protect birds and human beings from an avian flu pandemic. All samples taken in Britain are being investigated at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency at Weybridge. In Britain, 8,000 chickens and turkeys are to be screened and at least 3,000 wild birds. The tests will be on wild birds that are caught for ringing by conservation experts, on all wildfowl that is shot legally plus any dead or dying bird showing suspicious symptoms. The species considered most at risk of carrying the virus are teal, pochard, mallard, Eurasian wigeon, ruff, northern pintail, tufted duck, shoveler, gadwall and possibly lapwing. Britain and other EU states are mapping the flight paths for migrating birds, and farms most at risk are being informed. Government vets are also stepping up visits to farms to ensure that strict biosecurity procedures are being followed.
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