Romania has confirmed the H5 bird flu virus found in poultry in a Danube Delta village of Jurilovca, the Agriculture Ministry said on Saturday.

The virus was detected in preliminary tests Thursday, causing the culling of thousands of birds. Romania's national laboratory has isolated the virus and confirmed the diagnosis, the ministry said.

The same virus was also confirmed Friday in three dead hens found in the Cetate village in Dolj County, and samples will be sent a British laboratory to determine whether the virus is of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain which can infect human beings.

Since the first outbreak of bird flu in October 2005, the epidemic has spread to 27 villages across Romania. No human case has been reported in the country so far.

Source: Xinhua