Deadly bird flu virus inevitable in Mideast: expert

CAIRO (AFP) — Migratory pathways make an outbreak in the Middle East of H5N1 bird flu almost inevitable, although no evidence of the virus' deadly strain has yet been found in the region, a senior official said.

"As the migratory season progresses, the Middle East will become more threatened while Europe will be less at risk," Ken Earhart, executive officer of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) in Cairo, told AFP.

Scientists believe that the deadly strain of avian influenza is spreading through the movements of migratory birds, which peak in mid to end November when they move to their winter locations.

"We have found no evidence of the H5N1 moving to the Middle East," said Earhart, whose research centre is the most sophisticated virology laboratory in the region and receives samples to be analysed from several countries.

H5N1 is an avian influenza subtype with pandemic potential, since it might ultimately ...