French PM cautions against bird flu panic

French prime minister Dominique de Villepin today cautioned against panic over bird flu before presiding over a meeting of key ministers on the potentially devastating virus.

De Villepin, speaking on Europe-1 radio, said that chicken was still on the menu at Matignon, the prime minister’s office, and “I ate some yesterday.”

De Villepin was heading a meeting of French ministers whose work is critical to virus prevention.

“This virus is approaching,” he said, referring to the confirmed case of the virulent H5N1 strain detected in Turkey.

Tests were to confirm whether the same strain had indeed been found in Romania.

However, de Villepin said the European Union “is totally mobilised” and that France has “a large number of anti-viruses and vaccines”.

Asked whether all poultry raised naturally, and therefore risking contact with sick birds, should be closed up, the prime minister said, “We’re not at that stage.”