Risk of bird flu in Spain has fallen

Joan Collins THE director general for Rural Affairs, Carlos Escribano, said yesterday that the risk of the bird flu virus reaching Spain has fallen, although the level of vigilance will remain the same. Escribano added that once the migratory birds finished their journeys back to their habitats in the north, during which they crossed Spain from Africa, the risk level fell. However, he said that it is still necessary to be alert to the possibility of bird flu in the countries around Spain, especially the control of the disease in France, because of the risk that “wandering” birds (those which don't migrate so far) could arrive in Spain. He insisted that the measures adopted by the Spanish Government had been consistent with the actual risk of the entry of the disease into Spain, and that vigilance should be maintained during the next few years because of the migratory birds flying from north to south and south to north. Escribano also announced that the campaign of vaccination against blue tonge will start in the last week of April. They will try to give the number of doses demanded by the sector to all the species vulnerable to this disease (sheep, goats and cattle). The vaccination campaign will be paid for by the national Government but the Governments of the autonomous regions will be in charge of carrying it out according to their own criteria which will be tailored to their specific needs, he said. He added that the vaccination campaign will be carried out for two consecutive years with the aim of obtaining the maximum possible reduction in the incidence of this virus so that the disease will be erradicated from the country as soon as possible.