Bird flu risk this year

Bird Flu: Sky Reveals Risk To Britain

Last Edited: Monday, 02 Oct 2006, 2:00 PM CDT

Created: Sunday, 01 Oct 2006, 7:00 PM CDT

As the migratory season begins, Sky News has learned that the risk of a deadly bird flu pandemic hitting Britain this winter is even higher than last year. In a series of exclusive reports, our correspondents and reporters have been looking into the threat that H5N1 poses to the UK. Two migratory routes cut across the country and as the days get colder, the chances of infected birds arriving on our shores gets higher. Farmers are being urged to watch flocks carefully and even the public is being asked to remain vigilant. Health Correspondent Thomas Moore says that if the virus arrives in the country it could be in every British city within a fortnight. "And with no in-built immunity to such a new virus, it would be open season for the bug," he said. Some 56,000 people could die in a pandemic, with at least a quarter of the population falling sick. "That's not scare-mongering," he said. "That's the bottom end of the Department of Health's predictions." Sky News Environment Correspondent Robert Nisbet says the Government is targeting specific areas for surveillance in a bid to minimise the risk. But he added that it is "impossible to monitor the skies".