Negative test for bird flu farm vet

A vet who fell ill after visiting the Suffolk turkey farm affected by a bird flu outbreak, has tested negative for the disease.

The vet had developed respiratory problems and checked himself into the City Hospital in Nottingham, complaining of mild non-specific symptoms.

However, he has now been discharged after testing negative for the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.

A statement released by Nottingham University Hospitals said that hospital staff had followed all the necessary infection control measures and that there was no risk to other patients at the hospital.

Nearly 160,000 birds at the Bernard Matthews farm in Holton, near Lowestoft, were culled following the discovery of the deadly H5N1 virus.

The cause of the outbreak is still unknown. A three-kilometre protection zone is in place around the farm and all poultry in the area have to remain indoors and be tested for the virus.

A ten-kilometre surveillance zone is also in place, with no movement of poultry allowed unless they are being moved for slaughter.

Employees at the farm have been offered the Tamiflu anti-viral drug as a precaution.

Bernard Matthews said that none of the infected birds had entered the food chain and stressed that there was no risk to the public, because the virus cannot be transmitted through food.

Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Environment Minister David Miliband also said that the threat to the public from the outbreak was "negligible" and said that the Food Standards Agency had confirmed that there was no risk to the public from eating poultry or eggs.

However, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and Hong Kong have now blocked all poultry imports from the UK.

Since January 2003, 164 people have died from H5N1, mainly in Southeast Asia. All those who became infected had come into close contact with infected birds. However, there have been fears that the virus could mutate into a form which passes easily between humans, creating a pandemic.

(KMcA/SP)