Paris, Oct 11 Recent reports of bird flu from Turkey and Romania have alerted the , French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy to have an urgent meet of European Union ministers to coordinate decisions on fighting the illness.
Douste-Blazy, a physician by profession told France 2 television: “This is an animal epidemic. The bird flu virus is in the process of spreading and has arrived at our doorstep,"Tests have detected the presence of the bird flu virus among turkeys in an open-air farm located in northwestern Anatolia and among ducks in Romania's Danube Delta region. However, it is not yet clear if the virus is the same H5N1 strain that has killed over 60 people in Southeast Asia.
He said a meeting of EU foreign and health ministers should happen as soon as possible, to coordinate their actions.
It maybe noted that on Monday the European Commission banned all imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey to the European Union and said it would also keep a close watch on developments in Romania.
