Romanian authorities called for calm and placed an eastern region under quarantine, as tests confirmed the deadly strain of a bird flu virus that has devastated flocks and killed dozens of people in Asia has moved into eastern Europe.
British laboratory tests on Saturday confirmed the virus detected in wild birds found dead in the Danube delta was the H5N1 strain, identical to that discovered in Turkey a week ago. Authorities around the world fear it could mutate into a form that can be passed among people, leading to a flu pandemic which some say could potentially kill millions. The test results underscored fears that Europe is unprepared for a potential influenza pandemic should the avian disease mutate into a major threat to humans. The European Commission's health directorate paints a grim picture of such a likelihood.
"Experts take the view that an influenza pandemic is inevitable and may be imminent," it said on its Web site, adding that the most likely source is a strain jumping from animals to humans. Although H5N1 is highly contagious among birds, it is difficult for humans to contract.
In Romania, Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur also called for calm, and placed the country's eastern region of Dobrogea under quarantine, requiring all vehicles entering and leaving the area to be disinfected. Checkpoints were set up on roads entering the counties, and the region was banned from exporting eggs and poultry meat. The area includes the Danube and Black Sea counties of Tulcea and Constanta, where 1.5 million people live. The two counties are an important stop for migratory birds from Asia.
In nearby Poland, the government said it was ordering the country's farmers to keep poultry in closed quarters as of Monday, and was banning the sale of live birds at open-air markets and prohibiting pigeon races.
RSS