Bird flu does not raise risk of human pandemic, says EU official

The presence of bird flu in southeastern Europe does not increase the risk of a human influenza pandemic, European Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said in Luxemburg on Tuesday.

"The fact we have avian flu in Europe does not affect the possibility of a human influenza pandemic," EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou told a news conference after briefing EU foreign ministers at an emergency meeting.

He said that Brussels does not yet know what strain of bird flu had been detected on the Greek island of Chios. He also warned people against taking anti-flu drugs without medical advice.

The virulent H5N1 strain of the virus, which has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003, was found last week in Turkey and Romania.

The EU health ministers are to hold an informal meeting in London on Thursday and Friday to discuss detailed cooperation among the EU member states to tackle the issue.

Source: Xinhua