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Scots Jittery Over Bird Flu After Dead Swan Found

Government Prepares to Close Schools, Quarantine Flu Sufferers

April 9, 2006

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Fears of a widespread outbreak of bird flu in Britain receded somewhat as an infected swan found in Scotland remained the only confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 strain out of some 1,100 birds examined since the end of February but Scots remained jittery.

Government health officials said they had made plans for the mass closure of schools in Scotland, amid warnings that 100,000 children might die if the bird flu virus mutates into a human pandemic.

The chief medical officer for England and Wales, Sir Liam Donaldson, said that shutting schools could reduce by half the number of pupils who would be killed if the bird flu virus mutates into a form that is transferable between humans. Advert for The Scotsman Digital Archive

"Until the pandemic virus emerges, we cannot know for certain which groups would be most vulnerable," Donaldson wrote. "If all age groups were affected equally, and the virus was particularly severe, the excess deaths in school-age children could be as high as 100,000. This would mean that potentially 50,000 deaths might be prevented by school closures."

Scottish newspapers reported that off-duty firemen and retired truck drivers might be pressed into service to ensure deliveries of essential food supplies in the event of a bird flu pandemic.

There is no evidence that the H5N1 strain of bird flu can pass between people. But there are fears it might mutate or mix with human flu viruses to create a new virus.

Residents of Cellardyke, where the infected swan was found, were being closely monitored. Hospitals and doctors have been placed on alert and are prepared to quarantine patients suspected of suffering from the early stages of the virus. Residents who came into close contact with the dead swan have been advised to check their temperature twice a day and report to a doctor at the first signs of coughing, sore throat or fever.

Doctors are also to visit all residents who went near the swan to take blood samples to ensure no one is carrying the virus without suffering any symptoms.

Meanwhile, the UN's chief coordinator on bird flu, David Nabarro, said the death of the Scottish swan suggested other birds were carrying the viurs in Britain.

"The one swan is a good indicator there will be other species, like ducks and geese, that are flying around carrying H5N1, excreting it in their faeces and therefore also capable of getting infection into domestic poultry and into other species," Nabarro said.

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