Avian influenza hits Italy

Italian virologists have warned of the potential spread of avian influenza to humans, following the detection of seven outbreaks within the country, with the Cremasco outbreak affecting tens of thousands of turkeys. Maria Rosaria Campitiello, head of the Department of Prevention, Research and Health Emergencies of the Ministry of Health has announced the formation of a new working group with representatives from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the Zooprophylactic Institutes, representatives of the Regions and entomologists to monitor the spread of the avian influenza virus in Italy. In the United States, over the past seven months, there have been 20 cases of infection in humans and more than 300 instances of infection among cattle herds. According to experts from the Italian scientific community, the possibility of the virus undergoing a species leap is becoming increasingly likely.