Swiss brace for more cases of bird flu

Geneva experts say a duck infected with bird flu was found in the heart of the city Keystone

More cases of avian flu among wild birds are inevitable, according to the authorities, after a dead duck infected with the virus was found in Geneva.

The federal veterinary and health offices say they are working closely with other European countries to try and prevent a possible outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain among poultry.

Laboratory tests over the weekend confirmed that the duck found in Geneva was infected with a H5N virus. Further analysis is being carried to determine whether it was the deadly H5N1 strain that has been spreading across Europe.

The Federal Veterinary Office says it is almost certain that the duck was killed by that strain, and that more deaths can be expected.

The office is working closely with cantonal veterinarians to ensure that bird flu does not spread to poultry farms and backyard coops. Last week, breeders were ordered to keep their poultry indoors to avoid possible contamination from wild birds.

“Poultry farmers have an interest in protecting their animals and making sure they are not infected by the virus, so they are prepared to apply the restrictions,” spokesman Marcel Falk told swissinfo. “Then there are checks by the cantonal vets, who sometimes work with the police.”

Switzerland’s geographical position at the heart of Europe also means the authorities are working closely with the neighbouring countries.

Prepared

“We are already prepared in case bird flu does reach Switzerland,” said Falk. “Coordination with the European Union is simple because we have a similar approach to the problem.”

The European Commission said on Monday it was satisfied with the measures Switzerland had taken so far and said it had no plans to ban imports of Swiss poultry.

But not all EU member states agree on how to deal the arrival of bird flu. France has decided to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of chickens, ducks and geese to protect its lucrative poultry industry – the biggest in Europe.

But the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office has ruled out vaccines for poultry. “If you vaccinate chickens, they don’t become ill, but they are infected and can pass on the disease,” Falk said.

“This is particularly dangerous because if you have to fight the disease, you have to know if it has been introduced in the animal population.”

Public fears

The health authorities have been urging the public to remain calm about the threat of bird flu, reminding people that there has been no case of human-to-human transmission of the virus. And a special hotline – set up by the Federal Health Office – has been fielding questions.

The office says it has a national pandemic action plan in place, and that this is being updated, based on the current situation.

“If a pandemic breaks out, and it might come from the bird flu we are observing now, preparations are under way,” health office spokesman, Daniel Koch, told swissinfo.

Across the country local health officials are also developing their own plans while coordinating with the federal authorities.

“Local authorities can decide, for example, how many hospital beds are needed if there is an epidemic,” said Koch. “The federal authorities will decide on the other hand how anti-viral drugs are distributed.

An estimated two million people in Switzerland could be affected by an outbreak of bird flu in humans, with up to 10,000 deaths. This would be ten times more than a seasonal influenza epidemic.

swissinfo, Scott Capper

In brief

The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus was first isolated from a farmed goose in China in 1996.

A year later, the first cases of animal-to-human transmission were recorded in Hong Kong, resulting in six deaths.

In late 2005, the third wave of H5N1 reached eastern Europe on the backs of migrating birds, and turned up in Africa earlier this month.

In the past weeks, H5N1 has spread to Switzerland’s neighbours France, Germany, Italy and Austria.

On February 26, the first suspected case was discovered in Geneva. Surveillance zones have been set up to monitor local birds on Lake Geneva and Lake Constance.

Key facts

Only one case of bird flu has been discovered in Switzerland so far – a duck in the port of Geneva.
The authorities are still waiting for the European reference laboratory in Weybridge (Britain) to confirm whether it is a case of the H5N1 strain.
Eleven other suspected cases of bird flu examined on Monday were negative.
118 birds have been tested since last October.