Finland's Agriculture Ministry announced on Thursday that it would implement emergency measures to combat the threat of bird flu and as of the beginning of March, all poultry in risk areas must be kept indoors.

The measures have been prompted by the identification of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in swans in northern Germany. The original plan only called for poultry to be kept indoors during the main spring migration period, from mid-March to the end of May.

The Finnish Agriculture Ministry also intends to expand the list of risk areas to include a number of poultry breeding areas in Southwest Finland.

Head of the Agriculture Ministry's food and health department, Matti Aho, also warned against hysteria over bird flu. He noted that to date, all dead birds found in Finland have been cleared of the possibility of carrying bird flu virus.

At the same time, veterinary officials have encouraged citizens to report any deaths of groups of birds. Finland's agriculture ministry has also issued guidelines including detailed instructions to veterinary professionals on how to protect themselves from birds carrying the virus.

On Wednesday, Germany confirmed that two swans found on a beach on the Baltic Sea had died of the deadly H5N1 virus. Swans are among the first migratory birds to reach Finland in the spring.

Some Nordic countries, such as Norway and Denmark, immediately ordered all domestic poultry to be kept indoors, and Sweden restricted the movement of poultry.

Source: Xinhua