Greece becomes first EU country to confirm bird flu

No direct threat to people in Britain, says minister ·
Romania fears quarantine may have been too late

James Meikle and Mark Honigsbaum
Tuesday October 18, 2005

The Guardian

Greece yesterday confirmed its first case of bird flu, as the disease that has plagued south-east Asia continued its rapid spread westward. It is the first country in the European Union to report apparent infection, although cases are being tackled in Turkey and Romania.

The Greek agriculture minister, Evangelos Basiakos, reported the case on a turkey farm on the Aegean Sea island of Oinouses, near the coast of Turkey. The European commission said last night it was preparing to ban the movement of live birds and poultry meat from the region, which also includes the nearby resort island of Chios.

Authorities in Romania were yesterday monitoring poultry in six more villages in the Danube delta, amid fears that quarantine restrictions on villages already suspected of harbouring the disease may have come too late. Bulgaria and Croatia are also testing birds, although as there is no evidence yet of infection.

Full Story at Signs of the Times