Hungary poultry bird flu confirmed as H5N1

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – A bird flu virus found in poultry in
Hungary last week was the highly infectious H5N1 strain which
is also dangerous for humans, chief veterinarian Miklos Suth
said on Friday.

“This afternoon we received confirmation from the British
laboratory that it was the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of
avian influenza which had infected poultry in Hungary,” he told
Reuters.

It was the first time that H5N1 had been found in poultry
in Hungary.

Suth said the test result was not a surprise and the
government had taken measures to protect health.

“By the time the confirmation arrived, all poultry within
the one-kilometer protective zone in Bacs-Kiskun county had
been culled,” Suth said.

Hungary has slaughtered well over 300,000 animals, mainly
ducks and geese, in the affected area. It may cull up to half a
million in total and Farming Minister Jozsef Graf on Friday put
the damage at more than 8.5 billion forints ($39.47 million).