EU Confirms Deadly Birdflu Virus in North Cyprus
Date: 30-Jan-06
Country: BELGIUM / CYPRUS
Author: Emma Davis and Mark John
It was the latest sign that the virus, found mostly in Asia, was spreading west to infect birds in Europe and humans on the continent's doorstep. Turkey has reported 21 human cases of H5N1, including four deaths.
"The European Commission and the Turkish authorities have been informed ... of the high pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in a sample taken from the area not under the effective control of the government of Cyprus," the Commission said in a statement.
The EU's executive said it had banned the import of live animals or animal products from the Turkish Cypriot enclave into the EU, and added that it would be sending two experts to the area to investigate.
"The EU would be ready to assist with surveillance if needed. In accordance with a European Commission decision, the Cypriot authorities have taken all necessary measures including placing poultry indoors," it added.
A Commission spokeswoman said an EU laboratory had confirmed the virus in one of two samples from northern Cyprus provided by Ankara, but she did not expect the EU to take any further emergency action at this stage.
"We are confident our measures are holding," spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich said, adding that the Commission expected to have more details on Monday.
Ferdi Sabit Soyer, prime minister of North Cyprus, which is recognised only by Ankara, told reporters all the poultry in an area within a three kilometre (1.5 mile) radius around the village of Incirli, where the two samples were taken last week, had been culled.
"The radius is now 10 km (six miles). We are checking all people and cars going in and out of the area to make sure no birds are transported," he said.
"We call on the Greek Cypriots to work with us as this is the only way we can prevent the spread of the disease."
Soyer said no humans were affected by the disease at present. The government was to meet the EU experts later on Sunday and would implement any suggestions.
Greek Cypriot Agriculture Minister Timis Efthymiou said: "For the present there is no decision to close any of the crossing points and no additional restrictions have been placed by the EU than are already in force."
Bird flu has killed at least 83 people since it re-emerged in Asia in late 2003, according to WHO figures.
Experts believe the H5N1 virus is contracted through close contact with infected birds, but fear the virus may mutate to enable it to spread easily among humans, sparking a pandemic that could cause millions of deaths.
European Union veterinary experts last week extended a ban on imports of captive live birds from outside the bloc for a further four months to guard against the spread of bird flu.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli and Jean Christou)
