Deadly bird flu confirmed in Romania
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-16 09:26

"TERRIBLE PANDEMIC"

Klaus Stoehr, director of the WHO influenza program, said "the virus has the potential to change and mutate and thus spark a terrible pandemic," echoing the fear of other experts that H5N1 may change into a form that spreads easily among humans.

"We don't know whether a pandemic will break out in the coming weeks, months or only in years," he told German NDR radio. "But there's no question that if such a pandemic occurs we'll be looking at hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths worldwide."

Countries so far unaffected must assume the virus will spread further, Stoehr said. "It's not about speculating, it's about actually getting ready for an outbreak to occur, even in Europe."

In Romania, pharmacies ran out of regular flu vaccine and local media reported that worried citizens had bought up to 2 million doses of the vaccine in the past few days.

Flu vaccine protects people only against the latest strain of regular flu. Only if H5N1 mutates into a form that passes easily between humans will pharmaceutical firms be able to develop a vaccine specifically against that strain.

In Romania's southeast Danube delta area, six counties were cordoned off. Vehicles leaving the area were being disinfected at checkpoints and residents were being given antiviral drugs, officials said.

Television footage showed masked and gloved veterinarians gassing poultry and disinfecting farms in the delta village of Ceamurlia de Jos, part of a cull of more than 60,000 birds aimed at stopping the virus from spreading.

The Danube delta contains Europe's largest wetlands and is a major resting place for migratory wild birds -- the carriers of the virus -- coming from Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and Germany and heading for North Africa for winter.

Poland, responding to European Commission calls, said all poultry must be kept indoors from Monday to keep it away from migratory wild birds.

"The situation means quite a large danger for poultry in Poland, so I decided to impose some restrictions ... including a ban on keeping poultry in open spaces," Farm Minister Jerzy Pilarczyk told a news conference.