ll three Baltic states said they were taking extra precautions for an outbreak of bird flu after reports of widespread cases of the disease in European countries.
Government officials even seemed resigned to the fact that an outbreak was inevitable and focused their efforts on minimizing the possible consequences.
"It will come to us sooner or later," said Latvian Agricultural Minister Martins Roze, adding that so far all tests for bird flu in Latvia had been negative.
Roze said that a number of measures have been planned to prevent a mass outbreak of bird flu in Latvia, which was likely to cause severe damage to the poultry industry. The Latvian Food and Veterinary Service was expected to seek European Commission permission for vaccinating poultry against bird flu.
The virus H5N1 causing lethal bird flu is continuing to spread in Europe; dead infected birds have been discovered in countries of the Mediterranean Sea region, Eastern Europe, Austria and Germany. On Feb. 28 there were reports that a dead cat in Germany was infected with the virus.
Responding to news that the disease was discovered in Sweden, the Estonian Agriculture Ministry said on Feb. 28 that the country was on high alert and ready to react to the first bird flu case.
"We exchange up-to-the-minute information with Avo Partel, director-general of the Veterinary and Food Board, about the spread of the flu in Europe and we are ready to react immediately when the first birds with symptoms of the flu are found in Estonia," Agriculture Minister Ester Tuiksoo said.
A spokesman for the ministry explained that, in order to identify the first avian flu case, Tuiksoo would call the state animal disease protection commission, which is made up of surveillance officials, representatives of the Veterinary and Food Lab, head of the local Veterinary and Food Board institutions and representatives of the police and the Rescue Board.
"Cooperation between the different agencies has been agreed on and also tested in several countries," Tuiksoo said.
Last year tests were taken from about 1,000 domestic fowl and nearly 200 wild birds in Estonia, and none of the tests indicated the presence of flu.
A dead duck found in Tallinn last week ended up not dying from bird flu.
Latvia's Roze said health officials wanted to vaccinate poultry kept outdoors in small farms. He added that there was enough time left for the poultry to develop immunity to bird flu after vaccination.
As to large poultry farms, they have to comply with all the security requirements. While poultry in large farms were less likely to contract bird flu, the losses will be great, if any bird got the disease in such farm.
In Estonia, the national stockpile of the flu medication Tamiflu arrived in Estonia on Feb. 28 and was to be handed over to the state in the next few days.
The Roche Estonia pharmaceuticals firm said this afternoon that the medication ordered arrived in Estonia and would be handed over to the state in the next few days. The firm postponed the delivery deadline several times.
Kadri Magi, CEO of Roche Estonia, said that the Estonian order was met in four months but the delivery deadline of the flu medication was up to 1.5 years at present and the next consignment would not be delivered as urgently.
The 3,000 doses of Tamiflu will not be sold retail but stockpiled by the state.
Meanwhile, a Web site 's www.kriis.ee 's was to be reopened in Estonia in case of a worldwide pandemic to disseminate information and instructions. Mart Soonik, head of the Social Affairs Ministry press service, said the site would be opened if a new influenza virus spreading from person to person was discovered.
Liina Lepik, head of the Agriculture Ministry press service, said that within a couple of weeks the ministry would publish an avian flu information leaflet both for ordinary citizens and poultry farmers. The leaflet will be distributed with the major daily papers.
Besides, it will soon be possible to pick up from major shopping centers the Agriculture Ministry brochure Five Keys to Food Safety.
Social Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Marika Raiski said the Health Protection Institute and the Social Affairs Ministry were planning to publish a special avian flu information leaflet in case of a pandemic.
Flue and avian flu information is now given round the clock by the flu hotline No 1220. Representatives of the ministry suggest that both patients and general practicioners should consult that source in case of need, because the staff there have a lot of sources at their disposal.
The Agriculture Ministry will open an avian flu information line, 1676, within two weeks.
Latvia's Roze told the government on Feb. 28 that overall consumption of poultry in Latvia had only slightly declined due to the possible spread of bird flu. He said that despite the decrease in the total poultry consumption, demand for domestically produced poultry had increased.
In Lithuania, Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas said that the European Union would decide whether damages inflicted by the avian influenza should be compensated.
"Compensations is not something we should start our discussions with. We should first speak about the duty everyone 's a leader or a citizen 's should carry out. Now everybody turns to the budget, saying, 'Please be so kind, I'm sorry, pay for my flub,'" Brazauskas told Ziniu Radijas.
"We will do things as the EU decides," he said. "There is a special fund for such issues."
Brazauskas urged everyone to follow the instructions to avoid the spread of the virus.
On Feb. 20 the State Food and Veterinary Service imposed a ban on keeping birds and poultry outdoors. The order will be valid until May 20. Specialists have urged the population to refrain from touching dead birds and bringing them home.
The National Veterinary Laboratory, which examines dead birds discovered in Lithuania, has not yet identified a single case of bird flu in the Baltic state.
