More EU chicken flocks under flu threat

BIRD flu is likely to hit poultry flocks in a number of European states, experts said yesterday.

Scientists said they did not believe the case of a dead German cat, found carrying the H5N1 virus, increased the risks to human health.

However, one expert advised cat owners to keep their pets indoors in affected regions.

Sweden, meanwhile, became the latest in a series of new countries to report an outbreak of bird flu.

Two wild ducks found dead on the Baltic coast had an aggressive form of bird flu and officials said it was likely to be confirmed as the feared H5N1 strain.

Iraq, which has reported two deaths from bird flu, said it was making checks for three suspected human cases in Baghdad and one in the north-eastern province of Dayala.

The poultry industry is being hard hit as consumers shun meat such as chicken, despite reassurances it is safe to eat.

France last week became the first EU country to confirm an outbreak on a poultry farm, and has begun vaccinating 700,000 domestic ducks and geese on farms.

The commercial repercussions of the French outbreak were driven home yesterday as the government announced some 30 countries were now restricting or banning imports of poultry and poultry products from France.

The H5N1 virus has been detected in around 20 new countries over the past month alone, crossing into Europe and Africa - where it continues to spread.

The virus is endemic in birds across parts of Asia. It has led to the culling or deaths of some 200 million birds since late 2003.

In poultry flocks, it can cause sudden severe disease, rapid contagion and a mortality rate that can approach 100% within 48 hours.

Although essentially an animal disease, humans can contract the virus through direct contact with sick poultry.

The real fear for humans is that the virus will mutate into a form which passes easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic in which millions could die.