WHO: Risks unknown after German cat catches H5N1 bird flu
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-03-02 10:48

"Pigs are known to be able to be infected by both avian and human viruses, and they too can serve as mixing vessels, just like humans," he warned. "But beyond that we can't say with any certainty."

The virus appeared to be defying efforts to stamp it out in the bird population across Europe, Asia and Africa.

France is vaccinating 700,000 domestic ducks and geese on farms after detecting the first outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in a European Union poultry farm at the weekend.

Paris said 43 countries were now restricting or banning imports of poultry and poultry products from France.

Elsewhere in Europe, H5N1 was detected this week in Bosnia, the southern German state of Bavaria and a southwestern Russian farm where 103,000 birds died in a week. It also is suspected to have infected ducks in Sweden.

In Asia -- epicentre of the bird flu pandemic -- Indonesian authorities reported that two people had been admitted to a Jakarta hospital Wednesday on suspicion of having contracted the virus.

Pakistan slaughtered 25,000 chickens at two poultry farms in the northwest of the country after a mild, so-far unspecified strain of bird flu was detected in flocks.

Though the cat in Germany is the first mammal to be infected in Europe, other felines have died of the disease in Asia.

In Thailand, the virus killed two tigers and two leopards which had eaten fresh chicken carcasses at a zoo in December 2003, a clouded leopard in February 2004 and a white tiger in March 2004.

In October 2004, captive tigers that had been fed on fresh chicken carcasses began dying in large numbers at a zoo in Thailand. All together 147 tigers out of 441 died of infection or were euthanized.

"Subsequent investigation determined that at least some tiger-to-tiger transmission of the virus occurred," the WHO said in a statement.

But it is unknown whether cats can transmit the disease.

"There is no present evidence that domestic cats play a role in the transmission cycle of H5N1 viruses," the statement said.

The spread of the virus to birds in Africa is one of the gravest concerns in the health community because many countries on the continent are considered ill-equipped to detect or impede infection.

Niger authorities confirmed Tuesday that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in the west African country and set up two security zones following an outbreak in neighboring Nigeria.