February 21, 2006

Germany confirms bird flu has gone onto its mainland

The bird flu outbreak on the northern German island of Rugen has spread to the mainland, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 61, animal health experts said Sunday.

The Friedrich-Löffler Institute for animal health said two new cases of the H5N1 virus were detected in a buzzard and a gull found in a north-eastern state. Earlier Sunday, 18 new cases were confirmed on the Baltic island of Rugen, also part of the state.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday surveyed measures taken to control bird flu on Rugen and said that the federal government would go all out to eradicate the virus if the situation worsens.

The island is popular with tourists and has been flooded with reporters since the outbreak earlier this month, which experts said increased the risk of the virus being carried.

Germany has confirmed three cases of the H5N1 virus in birds and was awaiting confirmation of another 10 from a European Union approved laboratory in England.

Health Minister Ulla Schmidt called on Germany's 16 states to ensure that anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza are available for at least 20 percent of the population.

Germany has ordered all poultry to be kept indoors, joining a growing list of countries that includes the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Greece and Sweden.

Meanwhile, more infected birds were found in Italy and France. In Italy, the Institute of Animal Health announced the virus had been detected in a total of 16 birds in the country.

The plight of EU poultry producers, faced with plunging sales, will be discussed by agriculture ministers Monday. However, help may not be forthcoming as there is little that can be taken out from the EU budget to help farmers, a European Commission spokesman said.