Bird Flu UK

Yesterday's news of a bird flu "outbreak" at a Turkey farm stimulated the normal hysteria that surrounds this subject, with at least one "expert" proclaiming on TV that this was most likely the result of wild birds introducing the virus into the farm. I guess nobody has to take the blame for wild birds, whereas workers, farmers and politicians are responsible for "dodgy" practices in the poultry industry.

This morning I received an e-mail from Wetlands International about this latest bird flu outbreak; they are far better informed on the subject than I am so here is what they have to say.

Role of wild birds in UK Avian Influenza outbreak unlikely.
The outbreak of Avian Influenza (H5N1 hp) in Suffolk is unlikely to have
been caused by wild birds. This is the opinion of the global NGO
Wetlands International . This kind of farm is
too secure to make contact with any wild animals a real possibility.
Moreover, this is not the time of the year when many wild birds migrate,
making it also quite unlikely to be caused by wild birds.

Despite intensive monitoring programmes, no infected wild birds have
been found in Europe since the summer of 2006. On this occasion it seems
more likely that the source of the outbreak was within the poultry
industry, and it will be important to fully investigate possible links
with the outbreak in Hungary in January.

Measures to minimise all contacts with wild birds, such as the strong
measures in the Netherlands to keep free range chickens indoors, always
reduce the (small) chance of infection between wild birds and poultry.
An outbreak in a secure farm where poultry have no contact with wild
birds is no reason to impose these measures. It seems likely that the
outbreak in the UK has been successfully contained. If, however, an HPAI
outbreak spreads more widely, this will be the time to consider measures
to prevent poultry being kept outdoors.

I hope they e-mailed all the so-called experts that make commentary in the newspapers and on TV with this too.