Dead Swans: Avian Flu Strain the Cause

In the adjoining English county - a mere 40 miles or so from where I type this, I learn that three swans have been found dead.

The cause of death? Avian flu. (The H5N1 strain)

The dead birds were found at Abbotsbury swannery in Dorset which is a colony of mute swans. The swannery dates back to the 11th century and was established by Benedicitine monks.

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Staff discovered the deaths during a routine check and are now being administered Tamiflu tablets as a precaution.

Whether it is more of a shock when it happens to such beautiful creatures is of course debatable, yet certainly it seems to have upset the people I have spoken to more than usual.

And as a report in The Guardian states:

The outbreak comes less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk that had been imposed after an outbreak of H5N1 on a free range turkey farm in November.

This is not good timing at all.

It is thought that wild birds are the source of the infection.

But certainly, as far as this writer is concerned, avian influenza still seems a rather mysterious area. It pops up in the news far too often, yet still I am ignorant as to the facts. So here goes.

Recent UK History

Again referring to the Guardian piece it states that in 2005 a parrot died of the disease. Fortunately the bird was in quarantine at the time which allowed the UK to maintain its disease-free status.

In April, 2006, 35,000 chickens had to be slaughtered at a farm in the south of England after an outbreak of the disease was discovered.

12 months ago, 159,000 turkeys had to be culled - again in the south of England - after it was found that some of the birds had died suspiciously. It appears the H5N1 strain was to blame.

Two months ago, yet again in the same part of the country, 5,000 birds were destroyed at a poultry farm during another outbreak.

What is Avian Flu?

The disease came to light in Italy around 100 years ago. It can affect a variety of both domesticated and wild birds.

This site explains:

Infection can range from asymptomatic to severe, depending on the virulence of the virus and the susceptibility of the avian host. Avian influenza in domestic chickens and turkeys is classified according to disease severity, with two recognized forms: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as fowl plague, and low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI).

Avian influenza viruses that cause HPAI are highly virulent and mortality rates in infected flocks often approach 100%. While LPAI viruses are generally of lower virulence, LPAI in flocks should be controlled because LPAI viruses can serve as progenitors to HPAI viruses.

Sources:

The Guardian incl. Q and A

Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

Picture obtained here.

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