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An avian flu-affected poultry farm is
seen from behind a police cordon at Holton near Halesworth in eastern
England Feb. 3, 2007. (File photo)
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BEIJING,
Feb. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A second veterinary worker at the Bernard Matthews poultry
unit in Holton, Suffolk, UK, where bird flu was confirmed last week, was
undergoing hospital tests for the H5N1 virus, according to British Health
Protection Agency (HPA) Wednesday.
The worker had complained of respiratory problems and
the tests were a precautionary measure. Test results would be available Thursday
local time.
However, the first veterinary employee who became ill
after working on the same farm was tested negative for the virus, the HPA said.
This veterinary worker was hospitalized for a "mild
respiratory illness" and tested after working on a weekend outbreak of avian
flue two days ago.
British officials announced Saturday that the H5N1
virus was behind the deaths of 2,500 turkeys on a farm near the town of
Lowestoft, over 200 km northeast of London.
The remainder of the 160,000 birds were being culled
to prevent the further spread of the disease, and veterinary officials were
enforcing a "protection zone" around the farm.
Environment Secretary David Miliband on Monday urged
all keepers of birds "to be vigilant and to exercise good bio-security," but
adding Britain was well prepared for an outbreak.
He told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the
response of British authorities "has been rapid, well coordinated and
appropriate."
Miliband also said the Government's crisis committee,
code-named COBRA, had met on Monday to discuss the outbreak, adding "The risk to
the general public is judged by health experts to be negligible."
(Agencies)
Related:
UK veterinary employee ill, awaits
bird flu test
BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A British veterinary
employee has been hospitalized for a "mild respiratory illness" and was awaiting
test results Wednesday after working on a weekend outbreak of avian flue.
Dr. John Watson, chief of respiratory illnesses for
Britain's Health Protection Agency, said there was no risk for those treating
the employee. He also said safety precautions taken by workers ensured a low
risk of being exposed to the H5N1 virus found on a turkey farm northeast of
London.
"Avian flu is just one of the tests our laboratory
will be carrying out to try and establish the cause of this respiratory
infection," Watson said in a written statement. "It should be remembered that
chest infections and fevers are common in Europe at this time of year when
ordinary seasonal flu circulates."
FAO: British authorities can handle
bird flu outbreak
ROME, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday expressed confidence in the capacity
of British authorities to adequately respond to the recent outbreak of H5N1
avian influenza in a commercial turkey farm in Britain.
British authorities are still trying to determine the
source of the outbreak at the farm in Suffolk, England, where 2,500 birds died
of the virus. Around 160,000 birds have been culled to prevent the spread of the
disease, according to FAO.
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