Greece confirms four more cases in swans

Athens/Jakarta: Greece yesterday confirmed four more cases of the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu in swans found dead near its northern borders, bringing to 30 its total number of wild fowl known to have been infected.

"[They] were confirmed [Saturday] by the EU [European Union] lab in London," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement, adding that protective measures had already been in place.

There have been no cases of bird flu identified in Greek farm poultry but sales have plummeted and the government has announced measures, including state-guaranteed loans, to help farmers.

Wildlife experts say Greece had a high number of migratory birds this winter, forced south by an unusually severe winter in northern Europe.

Meanwhile, Indonesia promised improved efforts to stop the spread of bird flu after two children died of the H5N1 virus.

Indonesia has faced criticism for acting too slowly when bird flu first appeared in chickens three years ago.

"We will carry out intensive rapid diagnosis of patients suspected of having the disease," Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari vowed late onFriday, after tests came back positive for bird flu from a 3-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who died last week.

Both were from Central Java province and apparently became ill after coming into contact with sick chickens.

Dr Hariadi Wibisono, a senior Health Ministry official, supported the call for quicker diagnoses, but denied that the government had been slow in determining suspect human bird flu cases.

"There's nothing wrong so far," he told The Associated Press yesterday.