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Bird flu worker ill in hospital Bird flu worker ill in hospital
(10 minutes later)
A worker who attended the Suffolk bird flu outbreak is in hospital suffering from a mild respiratory illness, the Health Protection Agency has said. A vet who attended the Suffolk bird flu outbreak is in hospital suffering from a mild respiratory illness, the Health Protection Agency has said.
The worker, who has not been named, was undergoing tests at a Nottingham hospital but the HPA said it did not expect results until Wednesday morning. The vet, who has not been named, was undergoing tests at a Nottingham hospital - but the HPA said it did not expect results until Wednesday morning.
BBC correspondents said the treatment was a precaution and there was not yet any suggestion of human contamination. The treatment was a "precautionary measure" and bird flu was just one of the tests to be run, the HPA said.
Almost 160,000 turkeys were culled after the outbreak on a farm in Holton.Almost 160,000 turkeys were culled after the outbreak on a farm in Holton.
The HPA said a range of tests was being carried out to establish the cause of the person's illness - one of which would be for the H5N1 avian flu. But the agency said it was "highly unlikely" the vet would have been contaminated because he would have taken antiviral drugs and worn "full protective clothing".
The H5N1 strain was found in the turkeys on the Bernard Matthews site - and is the same virus which has caused dozens of human deaths in Asia. The HPA's Dr John Watson said: "Avian flu is just one of the tests our laboratory will be carrying out to establish the cause of this respiratory infection.
The HPA spokesman said: "It is highly unlikely the worker has been exposed to H5N1 because of the strict precautionary measures followed. "It should be remembered that chest infections and fevers are common at this time of year when ordinary seasonal flu circulates."
"The individual had not been pre-exposed and was wearing full protective clothing." The H5N1 strain - which has caused dozens of human deaths in Asia - was found in the turkeys on the Bernard Matthews site in Suffolk.
The H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, does not pose a large-scale threat to humans as it cannot pass easily from one person to another. The H5N1 virus does not pose a large-scale threat to humans because it cannot pass easily from one person to another.
But experts fear the virus could mutate and trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk. However, experts fear the virus could mutate at some point in the future and trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.