Hungary seventh EU state hit by disease

THE H5N1 form of bird flu was confirmed in Hungary, the seventh EU country afflicted with the lethal strain, even as health officials on three continents admitted containment measures taken so far have proved largely ineffective.

At least 15 nations have reported outbreaks this month, an indication that the virus is spreading faster.

Migratory birds are thought to be one way the disease is being carried and more than 30 countries have reported cases since 2003, seven of them recording human infections.

Hungary said yesterday that tests showed the virus in three dead swans found last week, while Croatia also confirmed H5N1 had been found in a dead swan on an island in the Adriatic.

Bosnia confirmed its first cases of bird flu on Monday.

UN veterinary officer Joseph Domenech said: “Pure stamping out will not control the epidemic.”

He was referring to Nigeria’s mass poultry slaughter programme, but had said earlier the same was true of outbreaks elsewhere.

Despite massive efforts to block the virus’ advance since it erupted in Nigeria two weeks ago, H5N1 was confirmed yesterday to have spread to three more states and the capital Abuja, bringing the number of areas affected to seven.

In India, officials admitted to failings in their bird flu surveillance system after the country’s first case of H5N1 was not confirmed until 25 days after chickens started dying.

And in Germany the number of cases rose to 103 as officials confirmed that the most lethal of all bird flu strains had spread from the Baltic Sea island where it was first detected to the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, raising fears of a spread to poultry farms.

Tests confirmed another 22 cases of H5N1 in wild fowl found on the northern German island of Ruegen.

A cull of poultry has been ordered in the area, and 300 troops have been deployed to help clear dead birds.

Samples from two wild birds found dead in Slovakia showed the H5 strain and are now being analysed for H5N1.

In Greece, with six confirmed cases in wild birds to date, agriculture ministry officials said the broad H5 category of avian flu - of which H5N1 is a variant - had been found on seven wild swans in the north of the country.

Other EU states to have confirmed H5N1 outbreaks are Austria, France, Italy and Slovenia.

Reacting to vaccination plans proposed by France and The Netherlands - both major poultry producers - European Commission health affairs spokesman Philip Tod said the EU was “not against the plans outright”, but that such actions must meet the criteria set down by Brussels.

Poultry sales in France have plunged by around 15% amid fears bird flu could enter the food chain.

Italy has seen sales plummet by around 70%, while those in Greece have dropped by at least 40%, and Portugal by 10%.