LOCAL bird experts say they want to reassure the people of Petersfield not to get in a flap about bird flu. Following mass media hype, local bird experts and vets have been inundated with questions about the disease. Birdworld curator Steve Bromfield said: "You are at a greater risk getting behind the wheel of you car then you are of catching avian flu. "We've had a few people in the park and ringing us up asking us about their birds at home. "It is something to be aware of but not something to panic about. I think the risk to birds is very, very slender. "We are continuing to monitor the birds and are in contact with vets." He warned that while people should be aware of the situation they should not panic. He said: "The danger is asking members of the public to look out for sick or dying birds as there are lots of other diseases that have very similar clinical symptoms. I think it's been whipped up into a frenzy and people are panicking unnecessarily at this point." He said although humans have contracted the virus from birds, they have yet to contract it from other humans with the virus. It is only when the virus mutates and can be passed from human to human that there would be a big problem. He said: "I think a lot of it's been hyped up by the media. I think someone looked at the worst case scenario, and pandemic is the worst, but lots of stages have to go through to get there. "Is it going to come to the UK? I think it's highly likely it will come to the UK. It's possible wild birds could bring it in. "We are monitoring the situation, I am sure it will come to the UK this winter or next. Really people in the poultry industry are more at risk. Our staff are not exposed to the birds in confined areas." Jane Barkway from Hollywater Hens owns 40 birds, and she is not worried about bird flu coming to Britain. Mrs Barkway, said: "I don't think it's necessary to panic. It's a lot of media hype. "I'm concerned, but not about avian flu, more about the publicity and where the government are concerned." Mrs Barkway said that poultry keeping is one of the fastest growing hobbies in Britain and she is worried all the bad publicity will effect hen sales. She said: "I'm more concerned about what people will do with their own birds. There's no need to worry. "Birds have had flu before now. It is people who work within the industry, working with birds in conditions that they shouldn't be in, who are more likely to get it. "If people want something to worry about they should worry about SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)." Panic has spread this week after announcements in the national news that the Department of Health plans to buy enough bird flu vaccine to cover every person in the UK in the event of a bird flu outbreak. But the new vaccine cannot be developed until the exact strain of the flu virus causing the pandemic is known. Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, has said 120 million doses would be needed. He has also warned that 50,000 lives could be lost in the event of bird flu coming to Britain. However, despite these figures and safety plans government officials still say that the risk of a bird flu epidemic in Britain is fairly low. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: "Avian influenza is a highly infectious disease affecting many species of birds, including commercial, wild and pet birds. The most severe form of the disease (highly pathogenic) is a notifiable disease which was last confirmed in the United Kingdom in 1992. "Recent outbreaks of a new form of the virus, H5N1, have arisen in the Far East and more recently in Eastern Europe. However, the risk of introduction of this bird disease to the United Kingdom remains low." "All people that keep poultry and other domestic birds should remain vigilant for signs of the disease and all keepers should maintain a high level of biosecurity to reduce the risk of introducing the disease." Anyone with questions about avian flu should visit the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website on http://www.defra.gov.uk">www.defra.gov.uk