The Veterinary Services of the Agriculture Ministry are alert due to the detection of cases of avian/bird flu in Cyprus. The virus is transferred by wild birds from one country to another, according to Dr. Karayiannis.
As he told philenews, migratory birds might stop at poultry farms to eat or drink something and if the birds of the farm are contaminated, the migratory birds also get the virus which they transfer to the birds of their destination country.”
Asked whether people can be contaminated with avian flu, Dr. Karayiannis replied that it is not easy and even if one person gets contaminated, other people are not in danger of getting affected.
Regarding the ways one can be contaminated, Dr. Karayiannis said that the person must be in direct contact with contaminated birds, stressing that the disease is not transferred when one consumes poultry.
Asked to comment on the issue of COVID-19 and the fact that cases have recently increased, he noted that there is no reason for concern since hospitalizations and the number of cases are not out of control.
