Deadly H5N1 bird flu strain found in Czech poultry

For the first time the bird flu virus has been detected in a Czech poultry flock. The State Veterinary Administration confirmed the type of virus found in a turkey flock at a farm in east Bohemia was the deadly H5N1 strain, which can be caught by humans. Local authorities have instated measures to prevent the possibility of the virus spreading to other local fowl, including a 3-km protection zone and a 10-km surveillance zone. All fowl in a ten kilometre radius will also be registered and checked by veterinarians.Of the birds on the farm around 2,000 died from the virus, the rest - an additional 4,000 specimens were culled on Thursday.

Bird flu was first detected in the Czech Republic in March 2006. 13 cases to date concerned wild birds, specifically swans. Some of the swans, tests showed, were also infected with the deadly H5N1 strain.

Author: Jan Velinger