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BIRD FLU REPORTS SOAR, BUT ONLY ONE REMAINS POSITIVE Sat Apr 08 2006 17:29:15 ET Despite thousands of calls from the public and the examination of hundreds of birds, a single dead swan found in Scotland remained the only confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the UK tonight. A total of 14 dead birds have so far tested negative for H5N1 in Scotland over the last few days. Further tests were being carried out on more birds picked up from 22 locations in the infection area near to where the swan was discovered in the coastal village of Cellardyke in Fife. And a further eight were being investigated today. But out of nearly 2,500 calls in a single day from across the UK, no suspected bird flu cases had been identified, according to the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Scottish Officials said today they were prepared for a deluge of reports from members of the public calling Defra's hotline throughout the weekend. Scottish Executive regional operations director Paul Neison said an extra 70 staff, including animal health officers, were working in the protection and surveillance zones. Laboratories were open all weekend to cope with an increased number of referrals as they check for the deadly strain, which worldwide has killed more than 100 people who have had close contact with poultry. Defra said there had been a steady rise in the number of callers to its hotline since the swan tested positive for H5N1. There were 2,420 calls on Friday, up from 1,700 on Thursday. Defra has extended the operation of the telephone lines from office hours to 6am to midnight, with more people staffing the hotline and extra staff working in the department. A spokeswoman said so far no `report' cases, which are suspected to be bird flu and are prioritised for testing, had been identified. ``Every case that has been tested has come back negative,' she added. Officials said they had difficulty identifying exactly what type of swan the infected bird was because it was found in an advanced state of decay. Developing... |
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