http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07763796.htm
Bulgaria rejects accusations of bird flu cover-up
SOFIA, March 7 (Reuters) - Bulgaria denied accusations on Tuesday from ecologists and foreign media that it was covering up or ignoring widespread cases of deadly bird flu.
Environmentalists said dead birds have been left for weeks on frozen lakes near the Black Sea coast, while Romanian media expressed surprise that Bulgaria had avoided outbreaks in poultry despite dozens of cases in its northern neighbour.
Bulgaria, a relatively poor country in southeast Europe, has so far detected the virus only in four wild swans.
Critics say Bulgaria, which hopes to join the European Union next year, might be playing down the threat in order to shield its poultry industry and because it does not have the resources to respond.
Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil said bad weather had made it difficult to collect dead birds. The country's chief veterinarian said all cases of H5N1, which can kill humans, had been reported upon discovery.
"We have no profit in hiding information on bird flu... You cannot keep the cat in the bag, and if there were cases in domestic birds, they could not have remained hidden," Chief Veterinarian Zheko Baichev told Reuters.
"Our measures so far have been 100 percent proper procedure. We are ending the migratory season with very good results."
Pavel Simeonov, chairman of the non-governmental ecological organisation LeBalkan-Bulgaria, said dozens of birds had been left dead for weeks on icy Bulgarian lakes and were being fed upon by feral dogs and birds of prey.
"We have the feeling the vets are refusing to test birds that are obviously showing symptoms of the virus or from types that are known to be more vulnerable," he told Reuters.
"We have offered help, but local authorities have refused."
Bulgaria rejects accusations of bird flu cover-up
SOFIA, March 7 (Reuters) - Bulgaria denied accusations on Tuesday from ecologists and foreign media that it was covering up or ignoring widespread cases of deadly bird flu.
Environmentalists said dead birds have been left for weeks on frozen lakes near the Black Sea coast, while Romanian media expressed surprise that Bulgaria had avoided outbreaks in poultry despite dozens of cases in its northern neighbour.
Bulgaria, a relatively poor country in southeast Europe, has so far detected the virus only in four wild swans.
Critics say Bulgaria, which hopes to join the European Union next year, might be playing down the threat in order to shield its poultry industry and because it does not have the resources to respond.
Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil said bad weather had made it difficult to collect dead birds. The country's chief veterinarian said all cases of H5N1, which can kill humans, had been reported upon discovery.
"We have no profit in hiding information on bird flu... You cannot keep the cat in the bag, and if there were cases in domestic birds, they could not have remained hidden," Chief Veterinarian Zheko Baichev told Reuters.
"Our measures so far have been 100 percent proper procedure. We are ending the migratory season with very good results."
Pavel Simeonov, chairman of the non-governmental ecological organisation LeBalkan-Bulgaria, said dozens of birds had been left dead for weeks on icy Bulgarian lakes and were being fed upon by feral dogs and birds of prey.
"We have the feeling the vets are refusing to test birds that are obviously showing symptoms of the virus or from types that are known to be more vulnerable," he told Reuters.
"We have offered help, but local authorities have refused."
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