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11/04/2006
Bird flu swan may have died 'outside UK'
A dead swan infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which was found in Fife last week, may have died outside the UK.
The Central Science Laboratory has identified the swan, which was discovered in the coastal village of Cellardyke, as a whooper swan, which migrate to the UK from Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia in the winter.
The BBC cited Whitehall sources as saying that a "working hypothesis" was that the bird had died in another country and had been washed by on the Scottish coast.
Test results suggested that the swan had been infected with an almost identical virus to that found in dead swans discovered on the island of Ruegen, off the coast of Germany.
No other infected birds have so far been found in the UK, since the swan was discovered. The case was the first of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to be detected in a wild bird in the British Isles.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone in place remains in place around Cellardyke.
Anyone who finds a dead swan, goose or duck or three or more dead wild or garden birds together in the same place is asked to contact Defra's helpline on: 08459 335577.
(KMcA)
The Central Science Laboratory has identified the swan, which was discovered in the coastal village of Cellardyke, as a whooper swan, which migrate to the UK from Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia in the winter.
The BBC cited Whitehall sources as saying that a "working hypothesis" was that the bird had died in another country and had been washed by on the Scottish coast.
Test results suggested that the swan had been infected with an almost identical virus to that found in dead swans discovered on the island of Ruegen, off the coast of Germany.
No other infected birds have so far been found in the UK, since the swan was discovered. The case was the first of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to be detected in a wild bird in the British Isles.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone in place remains in place around Cellardyke.
Anyone who finds a dead swan, goose or duck or three or more dead wild or garden birds together in the same place is asked to contact Defra's helpline on: 08459 335577.
(KMcA)
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Fife bird flu restrictions to be lifted
The restrictions put in place following the discovery of a swan with bird flu in Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland are to be removed within days. The First Minister has told the Scottish Parliament that the 3km “protection zone” applied to poultry products was to be removed on Saturday.
Fife bird flu restrictions to be lifted
The restrictions put in place following the discovery of a swan with bird flu in Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland are to be removed within days. The First Minister has told the Scottish Parliament that the 3km “protection zone” applied to poultry products was to be removed on Saturday.
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