Czechs find H5N1 bird flu in four more swans
Thu Apr 13, 9:59 AM ET
PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czechs have detected the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus on four more wild swans, the State Veterinary Authority said on Thursday.
It said the Czech National Reference Laboratory in Prague confirmed the strain of the disease, which can be dangerous to humans. This brings the number of the H5N1 cases found in wild animals in the Czech Republic to seven.
All the infected swans were found in southern Czech Republic. The veterinary authority said it was testing four more swans for the H5N1 variety.
Veterinarians have set up protective zones around the places where the dead animals have been found. There have been no cases of bird flu among farmed birds in the Czech Republic.
Farm Minister Jan Mladek said earlier this week he would try design measures to protect the Czech market from imports of cheap poultry from countries where bird flu scares have cut consumption, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal or Greece.
Imports have risen by a quarter year-on-year in the first two months of this year, while domestic demand has dropped by about 10 percent, news agency CTK reported.
Bird flu has killed 109 people worldwide so far and led to the death and culling of some 200 million birds since 2003.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060413...QkQ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
Thu Apr 13, 9:59 AM ET
PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czechs have detected the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus on four more wild swans, the State Veterinary Authority said on Thursday.
It said the Czech National Reference Laboratory in Prague confirmed the strain of the disease, which can be dangerous to humans. This brings the number of the H5N1 cases found in wild animals in the Czech Republic to seven.
All the infected swans were found in southern Czech Republic. The veterinary authority said it was testing four more swans for the H5N1 variety.
Veterinarians have set up protective zones around the places where the dead animals have been found. There have been no cases of bird flu among farmed birds in the Czech Republic.
Farm Minister Jan Mladek said earlier this week he would try design measures to protect the Czech market from imports of cheap poultry from countries where bird flu scares have cut consumption, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal or Greece.
Imports have risen by a quarter year-on-year in the first two months of this year, while domestic demand has dropped by about 10 percent, news agency CTK reported.
Bird flu has killed 109 people worldwide so far and led to the death and culling of some 200 million birds since 2003.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060413...QkQ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--