France boosts bird flu protection Tuesday 30th August 2005...

France boosts bird flu protection

Tuesday 30th August 2005

France is taking extra measures to protect itself against bird flu, stockpiling drugs and vaccines and reinforcing health checks at airports.

The government is ordering about 200m protective masks and enough anti-viral drugs for everyone in France, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said.

Bird flu has killed at least 57 people across Asia since 2004, and fears are growing of a global pandemic.

Poultry stocks in Russia and Kazakhstan have recently been hit by the disease.

Western fears

A virulent strain of the disease deadly to humans, H5N1, has been detected in Russian birds.

Concerns have been raised in the EU that migratory birds could spread the disease westwards. Finland is investigating a suspected case of bird flu.

The World Health Organization has said that if the virus mutates and becomes capable of human-to-human transmission, a devastating pandemic is "inevitable".

"Reserves of anti-viral medicines, vaccines and protection measures for the population will be increased to the levels required to ensure the health of all French citizens in the event of any pandemic," a French government statement said.

The French move comes after President Jacques Chirac called for a concerted global response to the threat, which he said may become "a crisis of great magnitude".