H5N1 Update: Deadly bird flu strain confirmed in Turkey
A Reuters newswire article, via MSNBC, reports this morning:
Turkey has the type of bird flu dangerous to humans and European authorities are working on the assumption that cases discovered in Romania are of the same strain, the European Union’s health chief said on Thursday.
His comments were the first official confirmation that the potentially lethal virus, which has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003, has now reached southeastern Europe.
“The virus found in Turkey is avian flu H5N1 high pathogenic virus,” EU Health and Consumer Protection chief Markos Kyprianou told a news conference.
EU countries should be ready for a potential flu pandemic and should stockpile anti-viral drugs, he said.
He said the EU executive did not yet know for sure whether the cases found in Romania were of the same virulent strain but they were assuming it was, pending final tests.
EU experts on avian influenza and migratory birds will hold an emergency meeting on Friday.
posted by Fergie @ 10/13/2005 07:05:00 AM
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