The European Commission announced measures on Friday to combat the spread of bird flu, telling European governments to pinpoint the areas most at risk and to separate poultry from wild birds, which carry the virus, Reuters reported. The Commission was acting on the advice of EU health and veterinary experts, who held an emergency meeting after confirmation that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had reached western Turkey and was poised on Europe's doorstep. Turkish medical staff on Friday tested nine people from the western town of Turgutlu for possible bird flu after 40 pigeons died, state-run Anatolian news agency said. No sign of illness had been detected but they remained in hospital for observation, the agency quoted local health official Osman Ozturk as saying. Europe's multi-billion-euro poultry industry is braced for heavy losses should bird flu take hold, hitting export markets and dampening consumer demand. "We've noticed a drop in poultry consumption of 10 percent since the beginning of October compared to last year," said a spokeswoman for the poultry wholesalers' union in Paris. "We believe that the main reason is bird flu." --more 2232 Local Time 1932 GMT
