Avian Influenza H5 Kills Turkeys in Suffolk
By: Carlo CaduffThis piece by the BBC reports that 1′000 turkeys have been killed by an avian influenza virus in Suffolk. It does only mention that a H5 virus was the cause, so we don’t really know if it was H5N1 or a different subtype.
1,000 turkeys killed by bird flu
About 1,000 turkeys at a farm in Suffolk have died from bird flu,
government vets have confirmed.
The birds are being tested after falling ill at the farm at Holton near
Halesworth.
Vets from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
said the birds had tested positive for H5 avian flu.
Further tests are now being carried out, said a Defra spokesperson.
Defra said reports from the farm were received late on Thursday night and
the premises were immediately placed under restrictions.
“A full investigation began at 0900 GMT this (Friday) morning, with samples
being sent to Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, for testing,” she
said.
Sources at Defra have told the BBC that the alarm was raised by the farmer
after he noticed “significant mortality” among his flock.
About 80% to 90% of the turkeys in the shed were showing signs of illness
-going off their food and general malaise which are among the symptoms of
avian flu.
There are 15 types of bird, or avian, flu. The most contagious strains,
which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7.
There are nine different types of H5. The nine all take different forms
-some are highly pathogenic, while some are pretty harmless.
The type currently causing concern is the deadly strain H5N1, which can
prove fatal to humans.
In May last year, more than 50,000 chickens were culled after an outbreak
of the H7 bird flu in farms in the neighbouring county of Norfolk.