Czech, Germany Outbreaks Spread

Fears Of Bird Flu Outbreak Across Central Europe Grows

On Wednesday, Czech authorities confirmed that the H5N1 virus was found in chickens at a poultry farm only four kilometres from another farm where 6000 turkeys were culled last week to stop the spread of the virus.

The virus has also been found in wild birds in Germany, near Nuremberg. On Tuesday came reports that more infected swans had been found in Germany's eastern districts.

While it may still be possible to contain the two outbreaks, clearly European bird flu experts are nervous about the discovery of the virus in what would appear to be growing arcs of infection.

From The Times Of India :

Zbynek Semerad, a spokesman for the Czech veterinary services, said on Wednesday the H5N1 virus had been confirmed by a national laboratory. He said it was "the most serious animal infection" in the country since an episode of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001.

Czech authorities suggested the bird flu had been detected for the first time in Czech domestic poultry which could be due to wild birds contaminating litter. The infection could have been transferred between the two poultry farms which belong to the same cooperative on the shoes of a worker or on a car tyre.

All previous 13 cases of bird flu in the Czech Republic since March 2006 had only affected wild swans.

Some 28,00 chickens as well as all the poultry in the village of Norin will be destroyed, Czech officials said.