Greek authorities said a hunter, who was suspected of being the first man in the EU to have bird flu, tested negative. Greece has had some cases of swans dying of H5N1 bird flu infection, but no humans so far.
H5N1 is a strain of the bird flu virus, it is the most virulent (powerful, potent, deadly) one. There are many strains of bird flu, most of them are not a threat to humans. The H5N1 strain is a threat to us - half of all humans who have been infected with this strain have died.
A further two people are being tested in Greece.
Since 2003 the H5N1 virus strain has spread from Vietnam, in south east Asia, to Sicily in the European Union, and Nigeria in west Africa.
The only continents free of this virus now are North and South America, Australasia and Antarctica. Antarctica is unlikely to ever be a problem for us as hardly anyone lives there, except for some scientists. North and South America are unlikely routes for migrating birds from Europe, Africa or Asia. There is a very slim chance infected birds could make their way into North America via Alaska and parts of the Arctic.
The Greek Orthodox Church is organizing a public awareness campaign to remind farmers and people who deal with poultry what preventive measures they should take. Priests have been given the task of spreading the message and handing out bulletins to worshippers who are told to wash their hands, not to get near wild birds or free range poultry and to report any dead bird immediately.
Now that bird flu is spreading in Nigeria, Africa, the likelihood has increased that it will make its way to Western Europe when birds migrate north during the spring. Ornithologists say mainly small birds, such as swallows, migrate northwards from west Africa to Europe and it is unlikely that an infected bird would be able to make the journey. However, an infected bird can infect others en-route - the virus could piggy-back its way northwards catching healthy migrating birds on the way.
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