from Kathimerini (English)
Bird
flu pierced the borders of the European Union after Greece confirmed
yesterday its first case of the virus on an Aegean island, as Brussels
responded by throwing the island into isolation as a safeguard against
a possible outbreak of the disease.
Agricultural Development Minister Evangelos Bassiakos confirmed that the bird flu was found on an islet near Chios, called Oinouses, which lies only a few kilometers from the coast of Turkey - the first country in Europe to confirm it had the disease.
Bassiakos added, however, that further tests are required to determine whether it is the H5N1 strain that can be lethal to humans.
«The Veterinary Foundation Center of Athens informed us that one of the nine samples taken was found to be positive regarding the presence of antibodies for the H5 bird flu,» the minister said.
[...]
Earlier in the day, the National Pharmaceutical Organization took anti-viral medicines off the over-the-counter list as panic buying emptied shelves of the medicine. Last week, more than 10,000 anti-viral shots were snapped up in a few days in the Evros region, which is on the border with Turkey.
At a Health Ministry meeting late yesterday, it was decided that all employees working on the turkey farm on Oinouses would be placed under medical observation for the next week. Authorities stressed that this did not amount to being placed under quarantine. (full story)
Agricultural Development Minister Evangelos Bassiakos confirmed that the bird flu was found on an islet near Chios, called Oinouses, which lies only a few kilometers from the coast of Turkey - the first country in Europe to confirm it had the disease.
Bassiakos added, however, that further tests are required to determine whether it is the H5N1 strain that can be lethal to humans.
«The Veterinary Foundation Center of Athens informed us that one of the nine samples taken was found to be positive regarding the presence of antibodies for the H5 bird flu,» the minister said.
[...]
Earlier in the day, the National Pharmaceutical Organization took anti-viral medicines off the over-the-counter list as panic buying emptied shelves of the medicine. Last week, more than 10,000 anti-viral shots were snapped up in a few days in the Evros region, which is on the border with Turkey.
At a Health Ministry meeting late yesterday, it was decided that all employees working on the turkey farm on Oinouses would be placed under medical observation for the next week. Authorities stressed that this did not amount to being placed under quarantine. (full story)
And in Turkey, there has been confirmation that the H5N1 strain is now a very real threat to animals and people alike:
The
virus found on a farm in Kiziksa, some 120 kilometers (80 miles) from
Istanbul, was the deadly H5N1 strain that has decimated flocks in Asia
and killed dozens of people there since 2003. Authorities around the
world fear it could mutate into a deadly form of flu that can be passed
among people, leading to a pandemic which could kill millions. (full story)
The next several months will surely tell the tale, but the WHO isn't pulling any punches:
All
prerequisites for the start of a pandemic have therefore been met save
one: the establishment of efficient and sustained human-to-human
transmission of the virus. The risk that the H5N1 virus will acquire
this ability will persist as long as opportunities for human infections
occur. These opportunities, in turn, will persist as long as the virus
continues to circulate in birds, and this situation could endure for
some years to come.
[...]
The risk of pandemic influenza is serious. With the H5N1 virus now firmly entrenched in large parts of Asia, the risk that more human cases will occur will persist. Each additional human case gives the virus an opportunity to improve its transmissibility in humans, and thus develop into a pandemic strain. The recent spread of the virus to poultry and wild birds in new areas further broadens opportunities for human cases to occur. While neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be predicted, the probability that a pandemic will occur has increased. (source)
[...]
The risk of pandemic influenza is serious. With the H5N1 virus now firmly entrenched in large parts of Asia, the risk that more human cases will occur will persist. Each additional human case gives the virus an opportunity to improve its transmissibility in humans, and thus develop into a pandemic strain. The recent spread of the virus to poultry and wild birds in new areas further broadens opportunities for human cases to occur. While neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be predicted, the probability that a pandemic will occur has increased. (source)
Best of luck to everyone — everywhere.
