March 6, 2006

More bird flu cases reported in the Balkans

Preliminary tests have indicated several new cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in domestic fowl in eastern and southern Romania, authorities said Friday (Mar 3).

The national laboratory in Bucharest detected the virus in samples from several dead chickens on two household farms in the southern village of Morteni, some 80 kilometers west of Bucharest, said Grigore Mertoiu, who heads the local animal health agency.

Authorities quarantined the village and have already culled more than 1,000 domestic fowl.

In the country's east, the national lab reported cases of infected hens, turkeys, geese and other birds in five villages. And in the eastern city of Buzau, the H5N1 strain was found in a wild goose.

The deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was first detected in the Danube Delta in October. There have been more than 30 outbreaks in small villages in Romania since then, forcing authorities to cull more than 150,000 domestic birds as a precaution.

Meanwhile, in northern Greece, three wild swans were tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday.

The new cases bring to 22 the number of bird flu infections found in wild birds in Greece - most of them in the northern regions of Macedonia and Thrace.

Meanwhile, authorities detained a poultry farmer in the north for selling live chickens at a village market Friday. The sale of live poultry is banned in the area as a precaution against the spread of the disease.

Thursday, Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis said the treasury would guarantee loans to poultry businesses affected.