MADRID, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Spain has kept on high alert against the possible spread of bird flu from Turkey and has taken necessary preventative measures to guarantee citizens' health, a government statement said Monday.
The Ministry of Health and Consumption said in a statement that it was in constant contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) to keep up-to-date with the situation and adopt new coordinated prevention practices if needed.
"There is no evidence of the virus being transferred from person to person," said the statement, adding that the potential danger to humans had not changed however.
The H5N1 strain has killed 74 people since it was first reported in Asia in 2003. Most of the victims worked closely with birds.
The deaths from H5N1 in Turkey were the first outside Eastern Asia and had alarmed the European countries.
Three siblings died last week in the eastern Turkish city of Van and a WHO laboratory has confirmed H5N1 in two of those cases.
Italy has urged the direct EU intervention, saying it's important to take joint actions. Enditem
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