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Greece Examines 54 Illegal Immigrants for Bird Flu |
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| GREECE: January 23, 2006 | ||
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ATHENS - Greek health officials are examining 54 illegal immigrants picked up in eastern Greece near the Turkish coast for signs of the bird flu virus, the merchant marine ministry said on Saturday.
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"First indications showed there are no signs of bird flu. The immigrants seemed to be just tired. The process is still ongoing," a ministry spokeswoman said. She said health officials are also conducting autopsies on three dead illegal immigrants found within the group. A police official said the immigrants were found in two rubber boats 10 miles north-east of the island of Samos near the Turkish coast. They were transferred to the port of Lavrio east of Athens, where they were placed under quarantine. Bird flu virus has killed four Turkish children. There are fears the virus could mutate into a form that can pass easily from person to person, setting off a pandemic. Tens of thousands of migrants attempt to cross illegally into European Union member Greece every year either through the Greek-Turkish land border that stretches along the Evros river or by boarding a boat along the western Turkish coast.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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