Romania reports new bird flu cases in Danube delta

BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania reported new cases of avian
flu in the Danube delta on Saturday and started to cull
hundreds of birds to prevent the disease from spreading,
authorities said.

Ion Agafitei, the chief veterinarian, told reporters three
birds had tested positive for the virus in the village of
Smardan. The country reported its first cases of the disease, a
strain of which can be dangerous to humans, on Friday.

“We have killed 220 (domestic) birds so far in Ceamurlia de
Jos, where the first cases occurred,” Agafitei said. “The
process is ongoing and will continue.”

He said further tests would be undertaken to discover if
the virus was harmful to humans. Quarantines had been imposed
on other six villages where suspect bird deaths occurred in
recent days.

The H5N1 avian flu virus has infected more than 100 people,
killing at least 60 in Asia since late 2003 and has decimated
flocks of poultry in southeast Asia.

H5N1 has been officially registered in six Russian regions
in Siberia and the Urals, and has also been confirmed in
Kazakhstan.

The Danube delta contains Europe’s largest wetlands and is
a major migratory area for wild birds coming from Russia,
Scandinavia, Poland and Germany.