H5N1 Confirmed in Suffolk England
Recombinomics Commentary
November 13, 2007
Initial tests at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency suggest that free-range turkeys on a Suffolk farm are infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu which is potentially dangerous to humans
The above comments confirm H5N1 infection of turkeys in Suffolk, England. The confirmation was not a surprise. The sudden death of 10% of the turkeys in one shed signaled highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the H5 positive results signaled Qinghai H5N1.
The proximity of the farm to a large ornamental lake and the lack of new bird introductions in the past four weeks strongly suggest that the free-range birds were infected by wild birds that frequently visit the farm and lake.
This is the first reported case of H5N1 in free range poultry in England.
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