Britons have been urged to be vigilant against bird flu after the deadly H5N1 strain killed three mute swans in Dorset.

Bird flu virus: What you need to know

Britons have been urged to be vigilant against bird flu after the deadly H5N1 strain killed three mute swans in Dorset.

Urgent tests are under way to check the other birds and ducks at Abbotsbury swannery where the dead swans were found in the past 48 hours.

Today's discovery comes less than a month after restrictions on poultry movement were lifted in Norfolk and Suffolk.

But what is the virus and why has it created such urgency among governments worldwide? See our factfile below to find out:
What is bird flu?

Also known as avian influenza, bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by a variant of the standard influenza A virus.

It was first noted by veterinary scientists in the early-1900s.


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