The risk of new cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus “remains high,” said Chief Veterinary Officer of the U.K., Fred Landeg. The virulent strain of influenza has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds either have died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.

An outbreak has been confirmed near London, which has caused the death of 30 turkeys. That outbreak led Britain’s farm ministry on Thursday to issue a “slaughter-on-suspicion” order for the site.

“The preliminary test results show no evidence of avian influenza on the premises,” Landeg told reporters. “We are still at a very early stage of the spread. The next few days is a very high risk period then the risk of finding new cases gradually diminishes.”

To contain the outbreak, Britain’s farm ministry is culling free range turkeys at three farms operated by Redgrave Poultry. A total of 28,000 birds will be culled, mostly turkeys with some geese and ducks.

“We still do not know the origin of the outbreak,” Landeg said, adding that the investigation included taking samples and testing droppings of wild birds in the area. There have not yet been any positive tests.

Britain’s farm ministry has imposed a 2-mile “quarantine” zone, 4-mile surveillance zone and a wider restricted zone. In these areas, poultry must be isolated from wild birds and there are movement restrictions. Britain had an outbreak of the H5N1 virus strain in February at a turkey farm in Suffolk, eastern England.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editor-in-Chief

Further Reading Online:

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/birdflu.html