October 17, 2005
 

Romania confirmed hit by H5N1 bird flu strain

A British laboratory has confirmed that the three ducks found dead in Romania's Ceamurlia de Jos village, Danube delta region, were infected by the H5N1 bird flu strain. This marked the first time that the deadly strain, which killed over 60 people in Asia so far, reached mainland Europe.

Romania's government said the outbreak was limited to Ceamurlia, and Maliuc village, 40 kilometres to the north. 18,000 domestic birds were culled in Ceamurlia while about 3,000 poultry were destroyed in Maliuc. Six counties in south-eastern Romania have also been quarantined.

However, the government said tests for bird flu within a 10-kilometre radius around Ceamurlia have turned up negative.

The Danube delta was a major stopover point for migratory birds coming from Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and Germany, and heading towards warmer North Africa during the winter.

So far, no human cases of bird flu have been reported in Romania or Turkey, where H5N1 was already confirmed earlier.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Bulgaria has tightened border controls and increased monitoring over poultry farms along the Danube and Black Sea region, the country's government said. A bird flu crisis headquarters would also be set up.

Nearby Poland has ordered poultry to be kept indoors following the confirmation of H5N1 in Romania, according to the government.

The European Commission had earlier informed EU governments to identify high-risk areas and keep poultry separate from wild birds to minimise the risk of infection.