TMCnet News
COUNCIL CHAOS OVER PARK BAN City leaders forced into U-turn after issuing closure orders to public as fears grow deadly bird flu has arrived in Scotland(Evening Times Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)BIRD flu chaos came to Glasgow today when city council staff were sent to shut seven city parks to members of the public. The "precautionary move" came amid a growing scare over bird flu, and the discovery of a dead swan at the city's Richmond Park. But within hours of the decision by council bosses, they were ordered to think again by the Executive. The Executive said the parks had to stay open, but restrictions were to be imposed on pond areas. A council spokesman said: "We are to open the parks, but there will be restrictions in place around ponds. The decision was taken after advice from the Executive." The chaos began after a meeting of council chiefs this morning, when they decided to close Queen's Park, Richmond Park, Alexandra Park, Hogganfield Park, Victoria Park, Springburn Park and Bingham's Pond. Officials said the decision was not related to the discovery of the dead swan in Richmond Park. It has now been sent away for testing. The Glasgow alert came as experts awaited the results of tests on the bird found in Fife which brought bird flu to Scotland. It has emerged that the swan was found dead more than a week ago at Cellardyke harbour. The results of tests to find out if it was carrying the H5N1 strain of the virus, which can be deadly to humans, are expected today. A 3km exclusion zone has been set up around the harbour, along with a 10km surveillance zone. Police are manning checkpoints to ensure vehicles containing poultry products don't leave the area. All west of Scotland councils were considering their options today. David Roderick of North Lanarkshire Council, said: "At present North Lanarkshire Council is not taking any precautionary measures, however we do have contingencies in place that would cover an event such as an outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus. "Should such an outbreak be confirmed, we will enforce immediate action as recommended by the State Veterinary Service to control the spread of the disease, including placing restrictions on the movements of flocks of farmed or domestic poultry and the implementation of disinfection stations." A spokesman for Lanarkshire Health Board, said: "We have received the advice from the Chief Medical Officer to immunise poultry workers. We are acting on the advice and the events in Fife do not change that." A SOUTH Lanarkshire spokeswoman said the authority was following the Scottish Executive guidelines on what to do in the event of an outbreak of bird flu. Aspokesman for North Ayrshire added that it had tested contingency plans in place. And East Dunbartonshire, which includes Mugdock, home of a large population of swans, said it had issued advice to its residents on what to do should they find dead birds. A spokesman for East Renfrewshire Council said: "We've been meeting with an emergency team over the past four months and every poultry farm and park with bird sites has been identified. "We will take advice from the Scottish rural affairs department, and if the virus came to our area exclusion zones around farms and parks would be set up." As the authorities considered their options, people were urged not to panic - but were warned to avoid contact with wild birds. Dr Syed Ahmed, NHS Greater Glasgow's public health consultant, reassured the public the chances of humans contracting the virus were minimal. He added: "The key thing is that humans have only contracted H5N1 if they have been in close contact with an infected bird, either through playing with it, plucking its feathers or preparing to kill it. "No-one is going to be infected if they have not been in very close contact with a wild bird. The risk is virtually zero. "My message is that people must not touch any birds, especially if they look sick. "If you avoid sick birds there is no risk. But wild birds could be carrying something so try to avoid them. "The main risk now is the virus spreading from wild birds to domestic ones, particularly in the poultry industry. This is what happened in France and is why extra surveillance is now in operation. "If chickens are outdoors they could come into contact with wild migrating birds, possibly in the same pond, or through droppings. "I hope this is an isolated case, but I wouldn't be surprised if other swans pick the virus up as they usually migrate in packs of two or three." Dr Ahmed emphasised there was no risk to people through eating poultry. "If they buy the meat from the butcher or the supermarket and cook it thoroughly there is no risk, he added. "The virus is very sensitive to heat and is quickly killed off." TIMES FILE AVIAN flu is a contagious disease found in birds and, less commonly, in pigs. Certain strains of the virus can pass directly from birds to humans and, in the case of type H5N1, lead to severe illness, including viral pneumonia and multi-organ failure, and death. There are concerns an avian flu strain could mutate into a form which is spread easily from person to person, resulting in a global flu pandemic and killing millions. Influenza A viruses have 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes, and only viruses of the H5 and H7 types are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease. Four types of the virus in birds are known to have caused infections in humans. These are known as H5N1, H7N3, H7N7 and H9N2. Generally these cause mild symptoms and not many cases of severe illness, but there is one notable exception - H5N1. It has caused the deaths of more than 100 people, in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, all after contact with domestic birds. According to the World Health Organisation, not all H5 and H7 strains of the virus are the severe type, but can mutate in poultry populations, turning from mild forms over a few months to become highly pathogenic. WHO says the presence of an H5 or H7 virus in poultry is "always a cause for concern". Migratory wildfowl, such as ducks, are natural carriers of bird flu but rarely get ill. The danger is they transmit the virus to poultry or domestic birds. But it appears wild migratory birds are now being infected with H5N1 in its deadly form and introducing it to new geographical areas along their flight paths. The parks that have been hit QUEEN'S PARK in the south RICHMOND PARK near Rutherglen ALEXANDRA PARK in the east HOGGANFIELD PARK in the east VICTORIA PARK in the west SPRINGBURN PARK in the north BINGHAM'S POND on Great Western Rd |