The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned that Irish nationals travelling to areas experiencing outbreaks of bird flu should take precautions to reduce the chances of infection.
While the Department believes the risk to Irish nationals is low, it does recommend that travellers should avoid contact with live animal markets and with poultry farms.
The Department is not advising against travel to countries that have recorded instances of the H5N1 virus but the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) continues to monitor the Turkish avian flu outbreak.
The HPSC has also issued Interim Guidance on the protection of people who may be involved in avian influenza outbreak control and eradication measures in Ireland, should domestic birds become infected, along with Interim Guidance on the management of human cases of avian influenza
Meanwhile, the Environment Department moved to ease fears tonight as it revealed the deaths of whooper swans in and near the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve were not linked to avian flu or other infectious diseases.
A number of dead and sickly whooper swans were found in the reserve shortly before Christmas - and around 48 swans have died to date.
Tests carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Food have ruled out avian influenza and other infectious diseases of concern to the poultry industry. It is believed lead poisoning may have caused their deaths but officials said it would take further time before it or other causes could be confirmed.
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