Two more cases of bird flu detected in different parts of country

Hens which died on a farm in east Bohemia had the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu, health officials said on Wednesday. The farm is just four kilometres from the spot where the disease was also discovered last week, in what was the first case of any kind of bird flu detected on a Czech poultry farm. Meanwhile, officials said a dead swan found in Moravia also had bird flu. It has not yet been ascertained what strain of the disease the bird had.

The minister of agriculture, Petr Gandalovic, said measures aimed at preventing the further spread of bird flu had been introduced on the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The minister also said he was worried the outbreaks would have a negative impact on the country's poultry industry.

Author: Ian Willoughby