British bird flu outbreak a case of 'when, not if'

A CHILLING warning has come from the British Veterinary Association that an outbreak avian flu was a question of "when, not if" following the discovery in France of a dead duck carrying the disease.

"We will have to talk to people on a weekly, even an hourly basis as the situation develops," the association indicated at the weekend.

Leading virologists feel that the likelihood of an outbreak is high but the British Government insists that it is well prepared for any such contingency.