Bird flu has been confirmed in a fourth swan at Abbotsbury Swannery.
Flu jabs have been given to all workers as a precaution after the fourth swan tested positive for the H5N1 virus. The swan was found dead at the Abbotsbury swannery last Friday, and tests have been underway to confirm whether the virus has spread.
John Houston, general manager at Abbotsbury Tourism Ltd, said he was disappointed that another bird had tested positive: ‘That puts us back to square one in terms of waiting for a 21-day clearance before we are out of the woods.
‘It’s disappointing,’ continued Mr Houston, ‘but not totally unexpected this early in the outbreak. It would be wonderful if it disappeared immediately but that’s unrealistic.’
BIrd flu has been confirmed in a fourth swan at Abbotsbury Swannery, but the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued a statement saying: ‘There is currently no evidence to suggest widespread disease in the wild bird population.’
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