A/H5N1 in the European Union: current levels of risk to humans, and responding to human cases and outbreaks

This issue of Eurosurveillance includes a report by Georgia Spala et al of the investigation of a suspected outbreak in Greece of avian influenza (A/H5N1 virus infection) in humans [1]. This took place in the early spring of 2006 when infected wild birds appeared in many European Union (EU) countries. There were confirmed infections in birds in Greece, but after careful investigation, no human infections were found. However, the massive investigation and control that had to take place around the infections and deaths in the outbreak in Turkey in December 2005 and January 2006 [2] is a reminder of what could have been in Greece or other EU countries.