Bird flu: government creates “highly pathogenic avian influenza management group”

With cases of bird flu cropping up from north to south and back again, in spite of all authorities’ efforts to contain it, the government has created a “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Management Group” with the mission to “define chains of command and coordinate prevention and response between animals and humans”. Up till now there has been no hint of this illness making the leap from infected birds to people, but the government and its various institutes are clearly taking no chances. Very sadly considering none of the radical measures seem to have halted this virus, over 230,000 chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, seagulls and pheasants have already been ‘culled’ in the districts of Leiria, Lisbon, Santarem, Setúbal, Beja and Faro since the outbreaks began.