Airport guards against bird flu

2005-08-20 17:28

Rome - The Rome-Fiumicino international airport has begun implementing precautionary measures involving passengers and merchandise originating from regions affected by bird flu, the airport said on Saturday.

Passengers travelling to the Rome airport from China or Russia may be immediately hospitalised in an infectious diseases clinic if they shows signs of respiratory problems, airport authorities said in a statement.

The new measures also foresee the "destruction by incineration of any poultry-based food found in the luggage of passengers travelling from risk areas," the text said.

On Friday Russian authorities announced that the H5N1 virus had reached the southern republic of Kalmukia bordering the Caspian Sea. Officials said they believed the virus had been carried west from Asia by migrating birds.

Kalmukia is the seventh Russian region to be hit by the virus, but the first region west of the Urals to be affected.

Virus 'raging' in Russia

The virus is currently raging in Russia, Kazakhstan and countries throughout Asia, which have been slaughtering domestic fowl in an effort to contain the disease.

The H5N1 virus, which can jump from birds to humans, has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.

It is currently believed to be impossible for the disease to spread between humans, but a genetic mutation of the virus could start a pandemic, medical experts have warned.

Earlier this month, the European Commission prohibited the importing of live birds and feathers from Russia and Kazakhstan, adding those countries to a list that also includes Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization issued a new warning saying that the geographical spread of the H5N1 bird flu strain "is of concern because it creates further opportunities for human exposure".

- AFP