Slovenia confirms first case of H5N1
Slovenia today said that Italian lab tests confirmed a swan found dead last week in northern Slovenia carried the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu – the country’s first case.
The tests carried out by a laboratory in Padova, Italy, indicated the swan was infected with the H5N1 strain, said cabinet spokesman Gregor Krajc.
Slovenia announced on Sunday that a swan found dead last week was infected with the H5 bird flu virus and the authorities sent its samples to the European Union’s lab in England, and also to Padova, to determine whether it carried the deadly H5N1 strain.
The swan was found near the city of Maribor in northern Slovenia – just nine miles from the border with Austria.
The government immediately imposed EU-recommended precautionary measures, declaring a “high risk” area within a two-mile radius of the area where the wild swan was found and an outer surveillance zone of 6.5 miles. Nearly 200 poultry were culled at the nearby farm.
The authorities also declared the whole of Slovenia a “risk zone”, demanding that farmers keep their poultry away from wild birds and report any suspicious illnesses.
Today, the Ministry of Health sought to dispel Slovenes’ fears, saying that there “is no immediate danger for people”. However, it urged them to avoid contact with birds.
Six other wild birds, mostly swans, were found in the same area this week and are being tested for bird flu.
| Related Stories: |
|
