00:01:14
ITN
Bird flu vet in hospital
Bird flu vet in hospital
Tests are being carried out on a vet who has been involved in the bird flu outbreak in Suffolk.The State Veterinary Service (SVS) vet was admitted to Nottingham City Hospital suffering from what is being described as mild breathing problems. Health officials said it was a precautionary measure and there is no immediate danger.A Nottingham University Hospitals spokesman said: "All the necessary infection control measures are being followed and there is no risk to other patients in any part of the hospital. The worker's condition is causing no immediate concern."The vet fell ill after working at the Bernard Matthews farm where the outbreak has occurred in Suffolk.A Health Protection Agency spokesman said: "The Agency will be carrying out various tests to establish the cause of the worker's illness, one of which will be for H5N1 avian flu."However, it is thought unlikely that the worker has been exposed to H5N1 avian flu as they will have been following strict protective measures concerning clothing and hygiene and were also prescribed antiviral drugs."Bernard Matthews has defended its handling of the outbreak.Commercial director Bart Dalla Mura said the company had no idea the turkeys were suffering from bird flu until the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told them last Friday.He said: "We heard the birds weren't well on Wednesday, the mortality increased a bit more on Thursday and that is when our vet said 'I'm going to contact the next stage of the line'."The last thing we thought is that they had avian flu. Only when the mortality went up on Thursday did the possibility of it being avian flu came to light."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | February 7, 2007
