March 10, 2006

Norway says dead birds test negative for H5 bird flu

Tests on dead wild birds found in Norway's south-west county of Rogaland Wednesday turned up negative for the H5 bird flu virus, a director at Norway's Veterinary Institute said Friday.

The country's Food and Safety Authority (FSA) feared 15 wild birds found dead around a lake near the town of Sandnes were victims of the deadly H5N1 strain that world health authorities fear may mutate into a form easily spread between humans, sparking a pandemic.

But Jorun Jarp, director of animal health at the Veterinary Institute, said it was thought instead that the birds died of poor health conditions and starvation. Record levels of snow have covered traditional feeding grounds, she said.

"We're pretty happy about the tests," Jarp said.

Norway has so far remained free of the H5 virus, but the FSA said the outbreak risk in Norway among wild birds was still high based on migratory routes that pass over the country's southern regions.

The Authority recently reintroduced a ban on outdoor poultry after two dead swans found off the coast of Germany tested positive for bird flu.