In Romania the virus is spreading:
"A type H5 virus, very probably identical to that detected at Ceamurlia de Jos, has been identified in two samples from Maliuc," a village in the Danube delta in the southeast of the country, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the site of the first outbreak, the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, after two days of emergency talks the EU has approved the new measures for fighting bird flu:
Among the precautionary measures adopted or reinforced include tighter monitoring and controls of wild migratory birds, and checks at borders to ensure no banned poultry products from Romania or Turkey enter the EU.
[...] They also called on poultry farmers to increase checks of their birds health, ensuring they report quickly to any deaths or illnesses at their farms.
[...] In Paris, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said all should be done to ensure the virus does not mutate, and added the public must be reassured as well.
I can't help but feel like the authorities are in denial and are focused on the wrong "measures". The avian flu virus cannot be contained at this stage: it will be with us for a long time. Import bans and border checks are symbolic, more than anything. And despite the statements of some politicians, we can do very little "to ensure the virus does not mutate". These are the facts. What is important is that we accept this reality and deal with it in a responsible way, by being as ready as we can for the likely emergency.
