October 24, 2005

Croatia has first bird flu case
 

Croatia confirmed the country's first cases of bird flu Friday with six swans testing positive for the H5 type, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Twelve swans were found dead near a pond in Zdenci national park in eastern Croatia on Thursday. Experts found the H5 type in six swans during testing on Friday, a ministry statement said. It was not clear if the remaining six had been tested.

The EU also said Friday it was preparing a ban on poultry imports from Croatia after it became the latest European nation to register cases of bird flu.

Croatia had already given assurances that no live poultry and poultry products will be exported to the EU, the European Union Commission said in a statement.

The ban is expected to be formally approved Monday.

About 1,500 migratory swans arrived in the area a few days ago and the local fish farmer then found about 15 of them dead, the EU said. Tests carried out by Croatian experts on samples from six of the birds led to the discovery of the virus.

The EU has offered the services of its specialized lab in England for further tests.