Bird flu suspected in Germany, poultry ordered indoors (Roundup)

Feb 15, 2006, 2:32 GMT

Berlin - Germany and Austria reported their first suspected cases of the H5N1 bird-flu virus Tuesday in wild swans, and the Berlin government ordered all domestic poultry moved indoors.

Four other European nations have reported outbreaks this week and the disease now appears unstoppable, at least among wild birds.

The latest suspected infections were in four dead swans on the island of Ruegen, off Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Preliminary tests showed that two of them might have the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, the government said. Final laboratory results are expected Thursday.

In Austria, two possibly infected dead swans were found in the country's south-east. An agriculture official in Styria province, Hans Seitlinger, said it was 70 per cent probable they had H5N1.

The lethal strain of avian influenza has killed birds in more than 20 countries worldwide and infected at least 166 people, killing 91. There are fears that the virus may mutate and cause a human epidemic.

German Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer said swans appear to be especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, which has swept west from Asia and now appears to be spreading in Africa and Europe, borne by migratory birds.

Seehofer earlier Tuesday moved up the date by when German poultry keepers must lock free-range birds indoors from March 1 to next Monday. After the dead swans were found, he further speeded up the ban to Friday.

The German ban will apply until the end of April, when migratory birds have all passed through the middle zone of Europe. Last autumn, there was a similar ban for several weeks.

Bird flu outbreaks were also confirmed this week in swans in Slovenia, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.

Two new cases of bird flu among wild swans emerged in the southern Italian region of Apulia on Tuesday as police seized thousands of fowls in affected areas. Preliminary tests indicated the swans had H5N1, Health Minister Francesco Storace told parliament.

Police on Tuesday seized more than 80,000 chickens and 7,000 eggs from farms located inside the danger zones and which had failed to implement adequate safety conditions.

According to Italy's chief veterinary officer, Romano Marabelli, there is no evidence to suggest the virus has spread from wild to domestic birds.

Marabelli also said none of the people who had come into contact with the infected swans had so far contracted the virus.

A French government health agency, the Foods Safety Agency (AFSSA), on Tuesday cautioned that the risk of infection from bird flu has increased in the country and recommended the confinement of all poultry.

In Kiev, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said his country and Russia would coordinate efforts to combat bird flu, with a joint team from Moscow and Kiev to be operational 'in the near future.' In Ukraine, the disease has spread to domestic fowl.

Ukrainian Health Ministry workers have destroyed more than 100,000 birds in an as-yet unsuccessful effort to prevent the disease's spread.