Wild birds not ruled out as UK bird flu source

LONDON (Reuters) - Wild birds cannot be ruled out as the source of an outbreak of deadly H5N1 bird flu in England, although no evidence they are infected has been found, Britain's acting Chief Veterinary Officer said on Thursday.

Fred Landeg told reporters on Thursday that the first farm infected in the outbreak had been located in an area where wild birds were common and near an ornamental lake which supports 1,000 waterfowl.

He also said the virus also genetically matched most closely a strain isolated from wild birds in the Czech Republic in the middle of 2007.

"We have no other evidence of any other route of infection to this premises to date (other than wild birds)," acting CVO Fred Landeg told a media teleconference following the publication of a preliminary report into the outbreak.

Landeg added, however, that tests taken on fresh droppings from wild birds in the area had so far found no evidence of infection although tests were continuing.

"I think we have to keep an open mind still," he said.

Britain confirmed on November 13 an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu at an organic poultry farm near Diss, Norfolk in eastern England.

The virus subsequently spread to a second farm operated by the same company and which shared the same workforce.

"The poor biosecurity measures employed by the stockmen who care for more than one unit of poultry..resulted in the transmission of infection, certainly to one premises," Landeg said.

The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds had either died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.

(Reporting by Nigel Hunt; Editing by Michael Roddy)