The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said the Government will be taking as many preventative measures as possible to deal with the threat of a deadly bird flu virus that has led to the deaths of over 60 people in Asia.
Mr Ahern said he still held out hope that the disease would not spread after health officials confirmed yesterday that the deadly strain was found in poultry in Turkey.
Meanwhile, EU health and veterinary officers have agreed a package of measures aimed at preventing the deadly bird flu virus from entering the 25-nation bloc.
EU experts said the measures would focus on strengthening bio-security measures on farms to prevent contact between wild and domestic species, and the introduction of early detection systems in high-risk areas.
Turkish authorities said today that they were keeping nine people under observation for suspected bird flu after 40 of their pigeons died in two weeks.
And test results on another strain found in Romania are expected tomorrow.
It is thought samples arrived too late yesterday at the laboratory in Surrey where the tests are being carried out. If they prove positive, it would be the first time the virus had spread to Europe.
The World Health Organization has called on countries to step up surveillance of both flocks and humans. The WHO added, however, that all the evidence indicated that the H5N1 virus does not spread easily from birds to infect humans.
Fears had been expressed that the virus could mutate into a form which is easily passed among humans, and could result in the spread of the infection globally.
