Greece on route for bird flu
Experts warned Greece yesterday that the country is still part of a danger zone regarding a possible outbreak of bird flu even though news that a recent suspect case of the disease turned out to be a false alarm. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that Greece is likely to be at risk because it lies on the migration routes of wild birds traveling from countries where a deadly strain of the virus has been detected. «We will see more outbreaks in the future in the area,» said WHO’s Bernardus Ganter in Copenhagen yesterday. «I wouldn’t be surprised if we detect cases in Greece and Ukraine next,» he added. Experts added, however, that the migration season is coming to an end and that this may slow down introduction of the disease into the country until possibly next year. Meanwhile, Ukraine lifted a ban on Greek poultry imports after tests confirmed on Saturday that a turkey found on the eastern Aegean island of Oinouses was not infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.
