Preliminary tests have indicated that several dead birds found in two villages in Romania had been infected with bird flu, local authorities said on Thursday.

So far the virus has been found in 31 villages in the country since it was first detected in the Danube delta last October. However, no human cases have been reported in the country.

The dead birds were found in the eastern villages of Vlahi and Ostrov, according to Grigore Mertoiu, who heads the local animal health agency.

Mertoiu said the virus was likely to have been carried to the villages by migrating birds from Danube wetlands.

The authorities said thousands of wildfowl would be culled in the two villages to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Source: Xinhua