Portal:Medicine/Selected article/13, 2007

The 2007 Bernard Matthews H5N1 outbreak was an occurrence of avian flu in England that began on January 30, 2007. The infection was caused by the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus and occurred at one of Bernard Matthews' farms in Holton in Suffolk. A range of precautions were instituted including a large cull of turkeys, the imposition of segregation zones, and a disinfection programme for the plant.

Though the cause of the outbreak was not determined, Bernard Matthews regularly transports turkeys and turkey products between the UK and its plant in Hungary, and the H5N1 bird flu strains found in Hungary and Britain are effectively genetically identical. (More...)