Media Centre

Avian Flu

THE FACTS

  • One case of avian flu was confirmed in Cellardyke, Fife in early April. Tests carried out on the one dead swan showed it to have the H5N1 avian flu virus.  

  • Avian flu is a disease in birds, not humans. While there have been some cases of people in South-East Asia and Turkey contracting avian flu from birds, it is extremely difficult for the virus to jump to humans. The people who have contracted the disease were mostly chicken farmers who were in close contact with the birds.  

  • It is too early to say if there will be any impact on tourism; however it is important to keep perspective on this issue to minimise any unnecessary impact on the industry in Fife.

  • It is safe to visit attractions in Scotland where there are birds, such as nature reserves, stately homes and gardens, zoos, children’s farms and wetland centres.  

  • VisitScotland has contingency plans in place should events begin to impact on tourism. Through liaison with the appropriate authorities VisitScotland will continue to monitor the situation and provide advice to both tourism businesses and visitors to Fife and Scotland.  

  • Avian flu is not a new disease. It was last found in the UK in 1992 on a turkey farm in Norfolk and in 2003 there was an extensive outbreak in the Netherlands with millions of birds culled. Both outbreaks were contained quickly.

  • The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) has a comprehensive contingency plan to deal with the situation and is already working closely with organisations to monitor wild and migratory birds.

  • Avian flu in birds exists in a number of popular overseas destinations for British tourists, there are no travel advisories for these destinations and tourists are continuing to travel to these destinations.

  • It is sensible to take normal hygiene measures if in close contact with a wild or farm bird and if a member of the public sees a dead bird it should not be handled.

  • There has been a lot of media coverage about a possible link between avian flu and a possible human flu virus. While some people have contracted avian flu from birds it does not have the ability to spread from human to human. It is possible that avian flu could mutate to a human form of the virus, however, this has not happened as yet and may never happen.

For the Scottish Executive statement click here

VisitScotland
Last updated: 1pm, 6 June 2006

More information:

World Health Organisation

BBC news

Department of Health

Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Dept

Health Protection Agency

UK Resilience