March 2, 2006

Hungary reports new bird flu cases

Hungary found four new cases of bird flu at locations including towns close to the capital, a government spokesman said Wednesday Mar 1.

The Animal Health Institute found that a gray goose in Szentendre, just north of Budapest, a black headed gull in Szazhalombatta, south of Budapest, and a swan in Dunaszentbenedek, 100 kilometres south of Budapest, all locations along the Danube, died most probably because of the H5N1 strain of the virus.

Another swan was also found dead probably due to the H5N1 strain in southern Hungary's Nagybaracska, which is already under surveillance, Andras Batiz, a government spokesman said in a release.

Hungary will establish protection areas around the new sites but sees no need to set up road blocks as only single instances of the disease have occurred.