Greece, Italy find deadly strain of bird flu virus

[Maine-ah]

Updated: 2:21 p.m. ET Feb. 11, 2006
ROME - Greece and Italy said on Saturday they had found swans with the H5N1 bird flu virus, the first known cases in the European Union of wild birds with the deadly strain of the disease.

As the slow creep of the virus around the globe continued, Romania said more infections were suspected in birds in the Danube delta and Bulgaria said the lethal strain had been confirmed among swans in wetlands close to the Romanian border. The region is a haven and transit point for migrating birds.

Nigeria started testing people who have fallen ill close to where the virus has been found among birds, in the first outbreak in African of a disease that has spread seemingly inexorably across the Eurasian landmass from China and Vietnam.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11289941/

[madame defarge]

1. Pickles is in Italy now... n/t

[Earth_First]

2. QUARANTINE!

[acmavm]

3. If it gets here watch out for martial law. bush** will bring in the

military against us. You watch. I'm surprised they haven't imported some of the virus and infected a few birds yet. But then again, I think 9/11 was a LIHOP thing.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Does that mean that she can't return to the U.S. until after the

bird flu passes into obscurity?

[napi21]

4. This is frightening.. My son lives & works in Sicily, and his

girlfriend if from Romania. I read the article, but it didn't say where exactly these swans were found. I know the story came out of Rome, but that doesn't mean anything. That's their Capital so all news comes from there.

[HeeBGBz]

5. Not to mention the Olympics

Where everyone could bring it home to wherever home is.

[napi21]

6. Hmmmm. You're right! n/t

[stop the bleeding]

7. very interesting point, timing and location is everything n/t

[SaveElmer]

9. Don't worry...

Unless she is in close prolonged contact with sick or dead birds she is in no danger. It wouldn't shock me if there ended up being no or very few cases in any western European country where migratory birds bring it in. Italy, like most western European countries does not have the problem as in Asia of Africa, where every family has a small flock in their backyard that they have contact with constantly.

[lovuian]

10. Bird Flu is spreading thats a fact...

Its in Europe in Asia in Africa in MidEast its only a matter of time for America to get in the list!!!

[barb162]

11. That's right and it is scary. A killer.

[SaveElmer]

13. It's a major killer of birds...

Still very rare in humans...and not guaranteed to either mutate, or if it does, to remain as dangerous as it is. Read all information, not just the most alarmist.

[barb162]

14. I do read as much as I can, especially the doctors versus

reporters. The doctors are scared of this one and that worries me.

[SaveElmer]

15. Many are not...

Many very respecte virologists, immunologists and flu experts take a more realistic and sober look at the actual possibilities. They do not discount its importance, but look at it from a non-alarmist perspective. This panic sounds exactly like the news coverage in 1976 and the swine flu, much of it sounds verbatim to me.

Dr. Marc Siegel is one of these taking a more reasoned look...here is an excellent interview from PBS

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5183999

[SaveElmer]

12. Don't overstate it...

Africa is a major worry, particularly for those losing their birds, which is a source of currency in many areas, In western Europe it is very important that it has only been found in a small number of wild birds...a totally expected occurrence, and of little danger to humans. The United States is not on the path of any major bird migration from outside the continent. A few birds do come from siberia into Alaska, but not in the numbers likely to cause a problem. And the probabilty that it will infect large numbers of poultry in the US if it does reach here is very small.