14 February 2006 Bird flu hits Italy
A new outbreak of bird flu in wild swans has been reported in Italy.
Officials are putting emergency measures in place after the disease was found in six birds in the regions of Sicily, Puglia and Calabria, all in the south of Italy. It is the country's first incidence of the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.
Avian flu is causing worldwide consternation, with medical experts predicting that it could mutate and become transmittable between humans.
The disease has killed more than 90 people worldwide since 2003, mostly in south-east Asia, where the worst outbreaks have been.
Italian health minister Francesco Storace has toured parts of the south of Italy in a bid to reassure people and highlight precautions that need to be taken to prevent further outbreaks.
Cases of avian flu were also confirmed in northern Greece over the weekend; the first time the virus has been found within the European Union. Outbreaks have also been reported in Slovenia, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Travellers heading to the EU should be aware that they should adequate cover for illness while abroad, as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not necessarily cover all the services that are available on the NHS in Britain.
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