Home>News Center>World
         
 

Officials urge calm over EU bird flu outbreak
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-13 10:50

Governments urged calm on Sunday after H5N1 bird flu made its first appearance in wild birds on European Union soil, while Nigeria was testing what could be the first humans to be infected with the deadly virus in Africa.

News on Saturday that Greece and Italy had found swans with highly pathogenic H5N1 confirmed the arrival in the EU of a virus that has killed at least 88 people in Asia and the Middle East and forced the culling of millions of birds.

The virus claimed two more human lives in Indonesia, raising to 18 the number of deaths in the country from bird flu, a Health Ministry official said on Sunday.

Further suspected outbreaks in birds were reported, with EU member Slovenia saying it had sent samples of avian influenza H5 found in a swan to Britain for further tests to see if it was of the highly pathogenic variety.

European officials tried to reassure people, stressing there had been no human cases reported in their region.

"I think we have to keep calm," French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand told France Info Radio.

"With the information coming from Italy, Greece and Bulgaria as well as Nigeria, we are still dealing with a bird flu, that's to say it affects birds. There has never been a case of human-to-human transmission anywhere."

In Italy, Health Minister Francesco Storace told a meeting of health experts he would prove there was no need for people to be concerned.

"Tomorrow, I will be visiting all the regions and all the places where the H5N1 was found precisely to show that there is no reason for worry for humans," Storace told reporters.

Experts fear the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain may mutate into a form that can spread between people and cause a global flu pandemic that could kill millions.

FRONT PAGES

The arrival of bird flu in Italy dominated the country's front pages of Sunday newspapers, eclipsing even the start of the campaign for an April general election.

The Italian Health Ministry, which urged people not to touch dead birds, said checks were being made on a swan found dead in the central Abruzzo region. If it tested positive it would bring the number of affected regions to four and move the crisis substantially further north.

At present, humans can only contract bird flu through close contact with an infected animal, something that is far less likely with wild birds than farmed flocks.

But that is of no comfort to Nigeria, which last week became the first African country to confirm an H5N1 outbreak. Like in most of Sub Saharan Africa, poultry are everywhere there -- in backyards, on city streets, on buses and in crowded markets.

Nigerian health officials were waiting anxiously for test results on two children feared to be the first Africans to be infected with the virus.

"We are suspecting this might be something, but we are trying to get the real case notes," said Health Ministry official Abdulsalam Nasidi.

Although only four farms in three northern Nigerian states have confirmation of H5N1, officials believe more have been hit with the virus and the problem is compounded by farmers receiving little information on how to handle the disease.

In Brussels, a U.N. humanitarian official said he was worried that bird flu could spread among displaced people in Africa.

"The ultimate nightmare I suppose (would be) this influenza being transmitted from human to human in overcrowded camps in Africa," U.N Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland told reporters in Brussels.

Health officials in the countries with confirmed outbreaks stepped up their checks for further cases, with many making spot checks on poultry in areas where the virus had been found.

Veterinary experts said more than 200,000 birds had been culled in northern Iraq to stem the spread of avian flu -- which has killed one teenager there -- and emphasised the virus posed no serious threat to human health.

"Right now this is more of an agricultural issue that's damaging the economy, not yet a serious health hazard," said veterinarian Sam Yingst of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit in Egypt.



USS Park Royal crew await for Rice
Coffin of Milosevic flew to Belgrade
Kidnapping spree in Gaza Strip
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Australia, US, Japan praise China for Asia engagement

 

   
 

Banker: China doing its best on flexible yuan

 

   
 

Hopes high for oil pipeline deal

 

   
 

Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks reduced

 

   
 

Milosevic buried after emotional farewell

 

   
 

China considers trade contracts in India

 

   
  Journalist's alleged killers held in Iraq
   
  No poisons found in Milosevic's body
   
  US, Britain, France upbeat on Iran agreement
   
  Fatah officials call for Abbas to resign
   
  Sectarian violence increases in Iraq
   
  US support for troops in Iraq hits new low
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Indonesian woman dies of bird flu
   
Azerbaijan reports bird flu outbreak in wild birds
   
Bird flu found in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日本免费精品一区二区三区 | 亚洲色偷偷偷综合网| 色吊丝在线永久观看最新版本 | 欧美一级黄色片在线观看| 亚洲色中文字幕在线播放| 精品人妻伦一二三区久久| 国产中的精品一区的| 黑人巨茎大战欧美白妇| 国产精品一区二区久久不卡 | 香蕉免费看一区二区三区| 在线a亚洲视频播放在线观看| www亚洲精品| 性生活视频网址| 中文字幕在线观看你懂的| 日本无吗免费一二区| 久久精品国产99国产精品亚洲| 欧美乱子欧美猛男做受视频伦xxxx96| 亚洲欧美综合国产精品一区| 牛牛影院毛片大全免费看| 公和熄三级中字电影久久| 美女下部隐私免费直播| 国产中文制服丝袜另类| 少妇被躁爽到高潮无码人狍大战| 亚洲国产精品久久久天堂| 永久黄网站色视频免费| 偷窥欧美wc经典tv| 精品久久久久久久中文字幕| 卡一卡2卡3卡精品网站| 色碰人色碰人视频| 国产人妖一区二区| 青青热久久久久综合精品| 国产好爽…又高潮了毛片| 99re最新这里只有精品| 国产欧美一区二区| 久久精品无码一区二区三区不卡| 欧美最猛黑人xxxx黑人猛交98| 亚洲精品视频免费在线观看| 玩物无删减版180分钟| 免费人成在线观看播放国产| 精品一区二区三区av天堂| 北条麻妃在线一区二区|