29.06.2005

Birds are still dying in Qinghai Province at the rate of 20 a day, said Julie Hall the WHO official in charge of communicable diseases in China , adding that the government has agreed to test other birds to see if they are carriers capable of infecting species in other areas and to share test results with the international community.
The migratory birds are still on the island but they will begin flying to other parts of China and neighbouring countries in about a month, Hall said.
Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection (EU), said: “The threat of a global influenza pandemic with serious human and economic losses is a very real one that must be addressed. In today’s globalised society, unilateral responses to such possible outbreaks are not a viable option. There must be a coordinated EU approach to prevent and control diseases such as influenza.”