Hungary becomes 7th EU nation with deadly bird flu
Tests confirmed H5N1 in three birds found dead in Hungary, making the country the seventh EU nation with an outbreak of the deadly strain of bird flu, officials said today.
Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, France and Slovenia also have reported H5N1 in wild birds. So far, no EU nations have reported bird flu in commercial stocks or in humans.
But veterinary experts were meeting today in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss how to keep bird flu from infecting domestic fowl as the lethal virus spreads across Europe.
Nations are under EU orders to keep poultry indoors to prevent them from catching the flu from migratory birds.
Some countries, including France, Italy and the Netherlands, are pushing for flu vaccines for domestic poultry as well. But others, including Britain, say vaccinations are costly and difficult – and provide no guarantee of immunity since the drugs only ward against the flu in general, not H5N1.
H5N1 has devastated poultry stocks and killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.
In India, health workers were wrapping up a massive slaughter of chickens today.
Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds. But scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans, sparking a human flu pandemic.
Germany reported 22 more cases of bird flu on the northern island of Ruegen, raising its total to 103.
Results from an EU reference laboratory in Britain confirmed that three dead swans found in Hungary were infected with H5N1, government spokesman Andras Batiz said in a statement. The European Commission confirmed the findings.
Hungary is awaiting the results from samples taken from four other swans suspected of carrying H5N1. All seven birds were found 105 miles south of Budapest, near Hungary’s borders with both Serbia and Croatia.
“There is no need for further protective measures,” Batiz said. “The government and the competent authorities have already implemented the steps needed to guarantee the population’s safety and prevent the spread of the disease to domestic birds.”
Seven more wild birds in Greece tested positive today for an H5 strain of bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said. In Slovakia, officials said the H5 bird flu was detected in two dead birds – a white grebe found in the capital, Bratislava, and a peregrine falcon found in Gabcikovo, on the border with Hungary.
Further tests were being conducted on samples from both countries to narrow down the exact strain.
European countries stepped up precautions. Lithuania ordered all domestic birds held indoors until May 1 and animal health officials urged residents not to touch dead birds.
In London, the ravens at the Tower of London were moved indoors. According to legend, if the ravens leave the 11th century fortress on the River Thames, its White Tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall. King Charles II decreed in the 17th century that there must always be six ravens at the Tower.
“Although we don’t like having to bring the Tower ravens inside, we believe it is the safest thing to do for their own protection, given the speed that the virus is moving across Europe,” said Derrick Coyle, the Yeoman warder who is also the Tower’s raven master.
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