Greece confirms four more deadly bird flu cases

[Theresa42]

Greece Discovers Suspect Bird Flu Cases in Country's North
Feb 09 14:54 GMT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aLMlAvvCqvtI

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Greece discovered the H5 avian influenza strain in three swans in the northern part of the country and sent samples from the birds for testing to determine whether the virus is the lethal H5N1.

"The H5 strain was detected after examinations in three swan samples,'' Greek Agriculture Minister Evangelos Basiakos said today in an e-mailed statement.

The samples were sent to a European Union laboratory in London for further tests, Basiakos said. Results of those tests are expected in 2-8 days, he said.

Greece in October reported its first suspected bird-flu case, raising concerns that the deadly virus that's killed dozens of people in Asia had spread into the EU. The case turned out to be a false alarm.

[Theresa42]

Re: Greece

Greece reports H5 bird flu strain found in swans
Thu Feb 9, 2006 9:19 AM EST

http://tinyurl.com/968gx

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it found samples of the H5 bird flu virus in three swans in northern areas of the country which borders with Turkey.

"The samples are now being sent to the EU laboratory for further testing to see if the virus strain belongs to the H5N1 type," said the national veterinary laboratory in Thessalonki.

The results of tests taken from the three birds, found in separate areas near the northern Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Katerini, were expected to be reported in 2 to 8 days.

The deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, which has killed four people in neighboring Turkey, has also forced other Balkan countries to cull thousands of poultry.

[CreativeOne]

Re: Greece

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aOOCwqoBsLzQ&refer=europe

Greece Suspects EU's First Case of Deadly Bird Flu (Update2)
Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Greece discovered avian influenza in three swans and is testing to determine whether it's the European Union's first case of the strain of the disease that has killed birds and people across Asia.

The Greek government, having established that the virus is the H5 bird flu subtype, said it has sent samples from the three wild birds to an EU laboratory in London to check for the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain.

``The H5 strain was detected after examinations in three swan samples,'' Greek Agriculture Minister Evangelos Basiakos said today in an e-mailed statement. The swans were found in separate areas in the northern part of the country.

At least 88 people have died after contracting bird flu since the H5N1 strain was discovered in southeast Asia in 2003. The disease has since spread along migratory flight routes through China and Russia onto the European continent and yesterday was detected in Africa for the first time.

Mushrooming outbreaks in Turkey, killing four people since the beginning of the year, have illustrated the difficulties of controlling the disease once it gains a foothold. The part of Cyprus controlled by Turkey was struck last month and Iraq and most recently Nigeria have also confirmed the presence of H5N1.

Nigerian Outbreak

About 40,000 birds in Nigeria have died since the outbreak began Jan. 10, and because the disease wasn't immediately contained, the virus will probably be found in other areas of the country and other African nations, said Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health.

Results of the tests on the swans found in Greece are expected in two to eight days, Basiakos said. Greece last October reported its first suspected bird-flu case; it turned out to be a false alarm.

The EU has tried to avoid avian influenza outbreaks by banning imports of poultry from infected areas and halting trade in pet birds. Street markets selling live fowl have been shut down and surveillance of wild birds stepped up.

The World Health Organization has warned that the animal disease may mutate into a virus capable of transferring between people. The resulting pandemic could kill as many as 7.4 million people, the United Nations organization says.

National governments are building stockpiles of millions of doses of drugs thought to be effective against the disease, including antivirals such as Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu and GlaxosmithKline Plc's Relenza. GlaxoSmithKline has already sold out of this year's production of the drug, Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Garnier said this week.

Communal Stockpile

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou is studying how to amass a communal stockpile of medicines for the 25 EU nations to ensure the whole bloc is covered in the event of a flu pandemic.

Mounting public concern about the threat has hurt sales at poultry processors including France's LDC SA and Nutreco NV, which owns Spain's biggest supplier of chicken and turkey meat. Sales of poultry in Italy dropped 13 percent last year as people opted for alternatives to avoid contracting bird flu, an Italian farmers group said.

Bird flu, which occurs in mild and severe forms, was first recognized in Italy in 1878 and can be contracted from the feces or exhaled air of infected birds. H5N1 shows genetic similarities to the so-called Spanish flu that killed 40 million people in 1918, according to research published in the journals Nature and Science on Oct. 5.

Symptoms

Symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches to eye infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia and other severe and life- threatening complications.

The last time a deadly bird flu virus struck the EU in February 2003, more than 25 million Dutch chickens were slaughtered and a veterinarian who contracted the illness died, according to the Lancet medical journal.

Human cases of H5N1 more than doubled last year as the bird illness spread further in Asia and to Eastern Europe. The lethal strain has also infected people in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, the worst-hit country with at least 42 fatalities from the disease.

[GaudiaRay]

Re: Greece

Does anyone believe that Greece will explain the consequences of this infection to its citizenry?

The focus should not be on the birds but on the humans and their livestock.
It's as if there should be a one page and supporting doc handout to all in the country, now.

But it's so much more fun to say "we are good. we saw it almost in October. and we're johnny on the spot and are seeing it now. what good boys are we."
The Greek national mindset I think will have a lot to desire.

However, until the birds come back from Africa, until the virus can pickup a greater efficiency of transmission, this is just one more bubble rising in the boiling pot.

I'm watching for the next polymorphism change. That insight can come from Niman. I watch and wait.

[Sally Furniss]

Greece

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3447669a15175,00.html


Greece said it had detected one turkey with birdflu on a remote island in the Aegean Sea and was conducting tests to see if it was a deadly strain of the virus.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in neighbouring Turkey and in Romania and both countries have killed thousands of poultry.

In Asia dozens of people have died from the deadly strain of birdflu but so far no human cases have been reported in Europe.

The agriculture ministry said the sample that tested positive to birdflu (H5) antibodies will be further examined to ``to verify the correctness of the analysis''.

``Authorities have been ordered to take all measures as if dealing with a suspected case,'' said Agriculture Minister Evangelos Basiakos, adding that the detected sample would be sent for further tests.

The agriculture ministry said the sample from one of nine living birds from a small poultry farm of about 20 turkeys on the tiny island of Inousses off the island of Chios had tested positive.

Basiakos said measures will be taken to isolate the village of about 400 people.

``There is no need for concern. The farm is in an isolated part of the island,'' he added.

Chios prefect Polidoras Lambrinoudis told Reuters no poultry or eggs were allowed to leave the island.

``We will cull the other 20 birds or so and we will medically examine all members of the farmer's family,'' he said.

Fears of a pandemic of birdflu have prompted governments around the world to test suspected cases, while vacine stocks were being snapped up by concerned people.

The European Commission said it had been notified by the Greek authorities about the result of the test and was awaiting the outcome of further virological tests to see which strain of bird flu it was.

``We are in permanent contact with the Greek authorities,'' said Health and Consumer Protection spokesman Philip Tod.
Greece was also waiting for results on dozens of other tests on dead birds found on the northeastern Evros delta, a busy migratory bird path. Bulgaria and other Balkan countries have also been testing birds.

The H5N1 strain first emerged in Hong Kong in 1997 and according to the World Health Organisation has killed at least 60 people.

[zkurmus]

Re: Greece

From anatolian agency

YUNANİSTAN'DA KUŞ GRİBİ VAKASI
ATİNA - Yunanistan'ın Selanik kenti yakınlarında 2 g?n ?nce leşleri bulunan 3 yabani kuğunun kuş gribi vir?s? taşıdıkları bildirildi.
11 Şubat 2006 Cumartesi -- 15:18:00

The three swans found dead close to Selonika two days ago were said to have the bird flu virus.

[Labrador]

Greeks confirm three cases of bird flu in swans

Greeks confirm three cases of bird flu in swans
By Lefteris Papadimas
Reuters
Saturday, February 11, 2006; 12:24 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021100665.html

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece on Saturday reported cases of H5N1 bird flu in three dead swans, as the disease appeared to have been spread into the European Union by wild birds.

"This is the deadly, the aggressive strain of the virus," Deputy Agriculture Minister Alexandros Kontos told Reuters. "The swans were probably flying to Africa because of the cold snap in central Europe."

The swans were found in three separate areas around the Thermaikos Gulf south of the northern port city of Thessaloniki. Tests are also being carried out on a wild goose from the Aegean island of Skyros and the result expected within the week.

"It was confirmed today by the EU lab in London that the three samples from dead swans had the pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. Italy and Bulgaria also reported cases among swans on Saturday.

The strain has killed at least 88 people in Asia and the Middle East since early 2003 and forced affected nations to cull millions of domestic fowl.

Health experts fear it could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, possibly triggering a pandemic that could kill millions.

"There is no reason for concern," the ministry said. "There is no sample of bird flu in any farm bird in our country."

Kontos said people who had come into contact with the swans had been tested but results were not ready yet.

Preventive measures since the swans were found include isolating poultry and keeping flocks indoors, banning hunting, disinfecting farms and a ban on meat or eggs from the areas.

"We have set a three-kilometer (two-mile) range from the locations. We have banned the transport of meat and eggs and proceeded with disinfections," Kontos said.

Some local people killed and ate their poultry before the birds could contract the disease.

The deadly H5N1 strain of the virus has forced other Balkan countries to cull poultry on a large scale.

[DB]

Country Maps of H5N1 Outbreaks

Europe, Middle East And North Africa

[Sally Furniss]

Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens

Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens

Politics: 13 February 2006, Monday.

A young man was rushed to hospital showing symptoms of bird flu, Greece's Sky Radio reported as quoted by Bulgarian media.

The man is supposed to have caught the deadly virus while going out on hunting in the area around Thessaloniki, north Greece, several kilometers away from the Bulgarian border.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=59099

[Mod Classic Black]

Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens

Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens
13 February 2006, Monday.

A young man was rushed to hospital showing symptoms of bird flu, Greece's Sky Radio reported as quoted by Bulgarian media.

The man is supposed to have caught the deadly virus while going out on hunting in the area around Thessaloniki, north Greece, several kilometers away from the Bulgarian border.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=59099

[Oric]

Greece is Eastern Europe !

Since the cold war is over there is no harm for you to carry Greece to Eastern Europe Forums

(Geographically speaking)

[Clytie]

Re: Greece is Eastern Europe !

Oric, after consideration of this dilema, and a closer look at the map, we have decided to move Greece into the Eastern Europe category.

Thank you for your input.

[DB]

Re: Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/100823.asp

Greece confirmed a second outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus, after tests on a dead goose from the Aegean Sea island of Skyros returned positive from an EU laboratory near London.
The announcement comes two days after three dead migratory swans in northern Greece were also found to be carrying the virus, leading local authorities to impose zones of protection around the areas in question.
On Skyros, an island of about 2,900 inhabitants in the central Aegean Sea, the necessary precautions have already been taken, Mayor Miltiadis Hadjiyannakis told AFP.
"A veterinary squad from the local prefecture is already here, we have vaccinated a number of municipal staff for house calls, and our citizens have been briefed on the issue," he said.
Skyros has no major poultry farms, but a three-kilometre zone around the area of the dead bird's discovery has been imposed regardless, Hadjiyannakis noted.
A Greek airman who found the goose at the island's airport on February 2 has already been tested, and has displayed no worrying signs, he added.
The virus strand confirmed on Monday by the EU Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, England was the highly pathogenic H5N1 type also found on the wild swans in northern Greece on Saturday, an agriculture ministry official said.
Bird hunting has already been banned on Skyros and the prefecture of Salonika, while owners of poultry in both areas have been ordered to shut their flocks indoors.
Municipalities in the above regions -- none of whom have major poultry units -- are likewise warning the public to avoid picking up dead birds with their bare hands, but also not to panic.
"The citizens must understand the seriousness of the situation, but they must also keep their cool," said Antonis Matzaris, mayor of the northern Greek municipality of Thermaikos, where one of the dead swans was found.
Greece has been on avian flu alert since January, when four children died from the virus in neighbouring Turkey, and the authorities have spent weeks seeking to reinforce local response teams with extra staff and equipment, even bringing in army experts.
On Monday, the finance ministry said it would furnish an additional 9.2 million euros (11 million dollars) for the added requirements raised by the virus' discovery in Greece.
Earlier in the day, one of two youths hospitalised in the northern port city of Salonika with bird-flu like symptoms was discharged after testing negative for H5N1, the nation's center for the monitoring and prevention of disease (KEELPNO) said.
The patient, a 15-year-old boy, was hospitalised on Sunday with suspicious symptoms nine days after picking up a sick swan.
The second youth, a 29-year-old hunter who handled possibly infected wild ducks five days before being hospitalised with a high fever, was described by a senior health ministry official as being in "good condition."
"We're going to have hospital cases of this sort all the time," said Panagiotis Efstathiou, chairman of Greece's state health sector coordinating agency (SOTY). ? AFP

[DB]

Re: Man with Bird Symptoms Hospitalized in Athens

This report describes 3 different suspected human cases.

1) Greek Airman
2) 15 year old boy.
3) 29 year old man.

[Sally Furniss]

GREECE is testing two people for bird flu

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006070298,00.html

Bird flu virus pair tested
GREECE is testing two people for bird flu ? just days after the country confirmed the disease in three dead swans. A boy, 15, who touched a swan, and a man, 29, who had been shooting ducks, are in quarantine while they wait for test results due this week.
Both are in hospitals in the northern city of Thessaloniki, close to where the first bird flu cases in the EU were detected on Saturday..