Poland says EU should help Russia fight bird flu
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Poland called on the European Union to help Russia stop the spread of deadly bird flu, which Polish veterinary services said on Tuesday could be brought to the country by wild birds within weeks.
Fears of a global outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu have grown after the virus spread from Asia into eastern Russia and Kazakhstan. Health experts fear it could mutate into a form that spreads from person to person.
The H5N1 strain, which is potentially dangerous to humans, has been found in six Russian regions in Siberia and the Urals, causing the deaths of nearly 14,000 wild and domestic fowl.
“Poland wants the EU to talk with Russia about how the whole EU can help Russia—including financial assistance—to prevent the spread of bird flu on its territory,” Polish Interior Minister Ryszard Kalisz told a news conference.
Kalisz and other officials said Poland was drawing up plans including the ordering of antiviral drugs. Veterinarian inspectors have recommended that farmers feed poultry indoors.
Janusz Zwiazek, Poland’s deputy chief veterinarian, said that based on migratory patterns he believes wild birds could bring the disease to Poland as soon as two weeks’ time.
Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003 and led to the slaughter of millions of birds.
The EU has said it believes there is only a remote or low chance of the virus striking the bloc, but other members including France and the Netherlands have taken precautions against a potential outbreak.
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