Cellardyke was the first place in the UK that an instance of avian influenza, caused by the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus, was confirmed. A dead swan was found floating in Cellardyke harbour on March 29, 2006. It was subsequently collected after a local resident contacted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) began testing blood samples from the wild swan on April 3, 2006. The Scottish Executive announced a positive test of the blood samples on April 5, 2006, and the strain was identified as the highly pathogenic H5N1 variant on April 6, 2006.[4]
The bird was a Whooper Swan of whom around 7,500 are thought to come to the UK during the winter. These are known to migrate from Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia. Some experts have suggested that the swan could have died in another country and been washed up on the coast.[5]
Coordinates: 56°13'N, 2°42'W
Work for us - We are looking for enterprising, community-minded people with time and a digital camera to help populate our local websites.
We are currently working on the Cellardyke profile and would be pleased to receive contributions from anyone who knows it well.
Online Hotel Reservations