Bird Flu

[Welshgirl]

After reading on the internet this morning that Avian Flu (Bird Flu) is more than likely to affect the UK and that it will be there for at least 5 years, I was curious as to what would happen if we visited the UK (as we plan to do once a year) if/when the bird flu is there, and subsequently tried to re-enter NZ. I rung NZIS who referred me to Auckland Airport who referred me to MAF who referred me to Quarantine who referred me to the Ministry of Health........ The following was finally established........

Bird Flu has been rife in Asia and some other parts of the world for a while now, but they are not stopping anyone from the affected areas entering NZ because, so far, it has not been proven that the disease can be passed from human to human - the only people who have been affected have been people who have caughts the disease directly from affected birds, i.e. people who are dealing with poultry, etc. If at some point it were to be shown that the disease can be passsed on human to human, then most likely, at some point NZ would close its borders, as would a lot of other countries.

In short, there will be strict regulations in place if the disease becomes prevalent and easily caught, and we would not be able to re-enter NZ.

Guess I'll be keeping an eye on the news/WHO findings from now :icon_eek:

[Glenda]

Funnily enough, this was being discussed at my kids school yesterday and they were told the same information along with getting enough food and water for three months should a pandemic occur as supermarkets and other shops will be closed to prevent it spreading. My daughter has been spooked enough to insist we plant a vegetable garden this autumn.

Quite frankly, it is very reassuring to live in a country that can close down its borders pretty easily. I do, though, think some provision should be made for NZ residents abroad who want to enter the country ... maybe a quarantine on arrival?

:icon_neutral:

[driver]

We too were discussing this yesterday as i'm sure many are.
Its another worry. We live in the South East of England, so quite close to France.
I've been cleaning and disinfecting as many items as possible in readiness for the move but thought that if bird flu were found in the UK. There will be more restrictions on what goes into the container and i'll probly have to wash everything again. :icon_rolleyes:

[img:500e4633db]http://www.movetonz.org/pics/motherbear_0,1445,230955,00.jpg[/img:500e4633db]

I'm hoping my hubby gets here before the Bird Flu arrives in the UK.
:icon_eek:

I love him to bits :008: but I don't think I'd relish the thought of having to go home if NZ stopped Uk visitors.

I think he'd have to nurse his own beak and feathers [smilie=stupid grin.gif]

Fisheress

Too late fisheress - bird flu has already hit the UK (Scotland I believe...). They have imposed a 15km exclusion zone to avoid it spreading, and advised farmers to keep birds indoors. Only 1 case has been confirmed but how long before it spreads?... It's still only passed from infected birds to humans though, so hopefully they can keep it that way.

[color=blue:c6b59fa2bd]Sorry, my information above was slightly wrong but this is the situation according to MSN news:-[/color:c6b59fa2bd]

Fourteen more birds found dead in Scotland did not die of bird flu, officials said on Saturday, two days after Britain confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain had reached its shores.

On Thursday, Scotland's chief veterinary officer Charles Milne said a Mute swan found in Cellardyke harbour in eastern Scotland had died from the virus.

Fourteen more birds, including 12 swans, were also found but officials said on Saturday they had all tested negative.

"We had nine results back on Friday and they were all negative and now we've been told the other five were clear too," a Scottish Executive spokeswoman said.

The Head of Veterinary Services for Scotland, Derick McIntosh, told reporters on Saturday that dead birds from 22 locations near the initial case had also been collected by officials for further testing.

Members of the public have been given a helpline to contact officials if they spot dead birds and McIntosh said he expected a large number of calls over the weekend.

"We believe we're ready for that," he said.

Some 70 extra members of staff have been brought in to cope with the extra work load, he added.

Officials have said the threat to humans is remote, despite the discovery of the deadly H5N1 strain in the carcass of the swan, found on March 29.

The Scottish Executive and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said laboratories in Scotland and England would work through the weekend to test the birds.

Scottish officials have announced 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 (1.8 miles) of the site where the swan was found.

The authorities also set up a 2,500 sq km "wild bird risk area" in Scotland.

"Everybody's wish is that this disease never gets any further, and never gets into our domestic poultry flocks," National Farmers Union President John Kinnaird said.

Scientists fear bird flu could become highly dangerous to humans if the virus mutates into a form easily passed on from one person to another, although it has not done so yet.

According to the World Health Organisation, the virus has killed 109 people out of at least 192 known human infections since 2003, almost all of them in Asia and involving people who had close contact with infected birds.

The virus has infected farm birds in France, Germany and several other European Union countries in recent months, but there has been no reported case of human infection in the EU.

Doctors say properly cooked poultry is safe, but farmers worry demand could plummet because of fear of the disease.