International health officials on Thursday confirmed that the H5N1 strain of avian flu is in Turkey, and may have already reached the continent by way of Romania. The H5N1 strain is particularly feared because of the risk that it could mutate into an ultra deadly virus capable of spreading from human to human.Although existing antiviral drugs may not be effective against the H5N1 strain, European Union Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou has urged the EU’s 25 member nations to start stockpiling medications aimed at other forms of flu since they might provide some degree of protection. “It’s the first line of defence," he said, adding that the EU plans to create a $1.2 billion emergency fund to develop new vaccines and distribute them as a precaution against human outbreak, noting that “scientists caution us and warn us there will be a pandemic”.Turkish officials urged citizens not to panic, stressing that the disease in its present form is not easily transferred to humans. EU officials also said that they are acting under the supposition that avian flu detected in birds in Romania is H5N1, though this has not yet been proven.So far, bird flu has only been transmitted to humans in close, prolonged proximity to infected birds. Those who have died have mostly been poultry farmers and slaughterhouse workers. But the World Health Organisation has warned that the H5N1 strain may be on the cusp of mutating into a virulent strain capable of passing from human to human. According to the UN health body, only 40 of 192 member nations have taken precautions against a possible pandemic. Should H5N1 mutate into a form easily communicable between humans, epidemiologists believe it would hurtle around the planet in a matter of weeks, wreaking death and illness, crushing medical care systems and disrupting economies. —The Boston Globe
