Bird flu vet test results awaited

The man, who has not been named, is suffering from a "mild respiratory illness" at Nottingham's City hospital.

The hospital said in a statement his condition was "causing no immediate concern" and that he had been admitted as a precautionary measure.

Almost 160,000 turkeys were culled after the outbreak on a Bernard Matthews farm in Holton.

'Seasonal flu'

Nottingham University Hospitals said the vet, who works for the State Veterinary Service, was admitted after complaining of "mild non-specific symptoms".

There was no risk to other patients in the hospital, it said.

The Health Protection Agency said it was "highly unlikely" the man would have been contaminated because everyone involved would have taken antiviral drugs and worn "full protective clothing".

The HPA's Dr John Watson said: "It should be remembered that chest infections and fevers are common at this time of year when ordinary seasonal flu circulates."

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Five nations ban UK poultry

The Strategic Health Authority in East Anglia said there was no need to panic.

The H5N1 strain - which has caused dozens of human deaths in Asia - was found in the turkeys on the farm.

The H5N1 virus does not pose a large-scale threat to humans because it cannot pass easily from one person to another.

However, experts fear the virus could mutate at some point in the future and trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.

A 3km (1.9 mile) protection zone and a 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone are in place around the Holton farm.

Poultry owners in a wider restricted zone, covering 2,090 sq km (807 sq miles) around Holton, have been told to keep their flocks isolated from wild birds.

Four countries - Japan, South Africa, South Korea and Hong Kong - have banned imports of UK poultry.

Senior vets from the 27 EU member states discussed the outbreak at a meeting on Tuesday, and later the European Commission said it was satisfied with the UK's response.

An international conference on the possibility of vaccination will take place in Verona in March.

Britain is Europe's second-largest poultry producer after France, with annual exports totalling £300m.

Bernard Matthews commercial director Bart Dalla Mura insisted there would be no adverse effect on the poultry industry.

He said consumers were "savvy enough" to see that the disease was being dealt with.

Scene of outbreak

• All poultry to be culled
• Visitors disinfected and restricted access

• Poultry kept indoors and tested

• No movement of poultry to or from area except for slaughter
• Trains carrying live poultry are prevented from stopping in the protection zone
• Bird fairs and markets banned
• Increased surveillance of wetland areas
• Domestic birds not to share water used by wild birds
• Footpath restrictions likely only on free-range farms
• People in towns not affected unless they keep poultry.

• Isolation of poultry from wild birds
• Poultry movements to be licensed

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