Brussels, 30/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 29 January, the European Commission announced that the pathogenic H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus had been identified on a bird from the Turkish (northern) part of Cyprus. This is the first case of avian flu in Cyprus, some 75 kilometres from the southern coasts of Turkey, where four people died from the H5N1 virus. The Commission immediately sent two veterinary experts to the area to investigate the epidemiological situation. The Commission pointed out that the EU did not import live poultry, poultry products or feathers from either Turkey or the northern part of Cyprus. However, the southern part of the island, which is in the EU, can export towards other EU Member States.
The community reference laboratory at Weybridge, United Kingdom confirmed the presence of the virus in the northern part of Cyprus after analysing samples taken from poultry from the contaminated village, near Famagusta on the east coast of the island. On 30 January, the spokesman for Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said that the Commission was satisfied with measures taken by local authorities, which have seen the culling of almost 1,500 birds in the affected village, checks at crossing points between the north and south of the island and poultry kept in henhouses in the southern part of Cyprus. He also indicated that the EU would send another team of experts from 13 to 17 February to assess the effectiveness of emergency measures imposed on the island to avoid the spread of the avian flu virus.