IRELAND: The avian flu situation is to be discussed by the Government's taskforce on emergency planning in three weeks.
But ministers yesterday moved to reassure people that it did not pose an immediate threat to human or animal health.
Yesterday Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan said there was a need for continued vigilance and urged Irish travellers to Turkey to take sensible precautions, and to avoid contact with wild birds or live poultry.
In a statement yesterday evening Ms Coughlan said that the recent events in Turkey did not alter the risk to Ireland.
Her department was continuing to review contingency arrangements and would not hesitate to introduce any additional measures believed necessary to maintain Ireland's avian-flu-free status.
The department has already established a register for all domestic flock-owners and people involved in commercial aviaries.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea, who chairs the Government's taskforce on emergency planning, said the issue was at the top of the agenda for next month's meeting, but there was no plan for meeting before this date.
He was more than satisfied with the contingency arrangements and measures adopted by the Department of Agriculture and with the fact that officials were in regular contact on the issue.
The Health Service Executive is looking at purchasing a second type of antiviral drug to aid in the fight against flu if there should be a pandemic.
It said yesterday it was now examining whether to purchase stocks of Relenza to supplement stocks of Tamiflu which it has already ordered.
A spokeswoman said the HSE had already taken delivery of 600,000 doses of Tamiflu and had ordered a further 400,000, which are due to be delivered in September.
The scientific journal Nature reported last October that it might be necessary to stockpile more than one antiviral drug in the event of an H5N1 influenza pandemic because a strain of bird flu that infected a Vietnamese girl had developed resistance to Tamiflu.
While the virus survived treatment with Tamiflu, it was killed off by Relenza.
Meanwhile the HSE's spokeswoman added that the State's influenza pandemic preparedness plan was constantly being updated, and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was monitoring the situation in relation to avian influenza daily.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not advising the public against travelling to destinations, like Turkey, where several cases of avian influenza have been reported.
However, it said people travelling to Turkey should take every precaution necessary and ensure they did not visit risky locations such as chicken farms.