As bird flu sweeps apace through Europe, the likelihood it will soon hit UK shores is ever increasing.
Should the H5N1 virus arrive, the message from animal health experts is loud and clear: Britain will need to stamp out any outbreaks of disease as quickly as possible.
While a raft of measures has already been put into place to limit the chance of bird flu entering the country, the real test of the UK's contingency plans will come when a bird is discovered carrying the disease.
And when that time comes, the government will not to want to repeat the mistakes made during the foot-and-mouth crisis five years ago.
"With such a contagious infection as avian flu, the sooner we can contain it the better chance we have of stopping the infection in its tracks," explained Dr John McCauley, of the Institute of Animal Health.
Source
Should the H5N1 virus arrive, the message from animal health experts is loud and clear: Britain will need to stamp out any outbreaks of disease as quickly as possible.
While a raft of measures has already been put into place to limit the chance of bird flu entering the country, the real test of the UK's contingency plans will come when a bird is discovered carrying the disease.
And when that time comes, the government will not to want to repeat the mistakes made during the foot-and-mouth crisis five years ago.
"With such a contagious infection as avian flu, the sooner we can contain it the better chance we have of stopping the infection in its tracks," explained Dr John McCauley, of the Institute of Animal Health.
Source