Scots 'ready' for flu pandemic
2006-04-09 15:47
London - Scotland, which discovered its first case of the deadly strain of bird flu in a swan last week, is well prepared for any human pandemic, first minister Jack McConnell said on Sunday.
Bird flu is essentially an animal disease, but scientists fear it could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, causing a pandemic.
McConnell said officials had reacted quickly to the initial case and said Scotland had comprehensive contingency plans in place to cope with any human outbreak.
Scotland confirmed on Thursday that the deadly H5N1 strain had reached its shores in a Mute swan which was found in Cellardyke harbour in eastern Scotland.
Scientists have tested numerous dead birds since then and they have all been found to be negative.
"I'm absolutely certain that the right procedures were followed last week," McConnell told Sky news on Sunday.
"The surveillance operation that is in place is proving to be very effective and reassuring the public."
McConnell said schools in Scotland could be closed if a pupil was found to have caught the virus.
"The closure of schools would only happen if there were cases being identified in those schools, but clearly if that was the case, the closure ... would be an immediate and urgent priority," he said.
Officials in Scotland have said the threat to humans is remote, despite the discovery of the H5N1 strain in the carcass of the swan, found on March 29.
They have introduced measures to prevent the spread of the disease to domestic poultry farms as has happened in some European countries.
Vets will test birds at all poultry farms within 3 km of the site where the swan was found.
The authorities have also set up a 2 500 km² "wild bird risk area" in Scotland.
But McConnell said they would not be vaccinating birds as this was not the advice given by experts.
"If we were to vaccinate all of the birds then it could mask ... any further cases of avian flu because it might not be possible to tell whether a bird has just been vaccinated or whether it has caught a strain of the virus," he said.
"The decision on bird vaccination has been taken on the basis of expert advice and I think it's a very wise decision at this stage."