Deadly H5N1 strain confirmed in Slovenian bird flu case

Slovenia said on Thursday that tests by a reference laboratory in Italy's Padua have confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain in a swan found dead in the northeast of Slovenia last week, said reports reaching here from Ljubljana.

Slovenia's National Center for Disease Control decided to beef up preventive measures by declaring the whole country a high-risk zone, reported the Slovene Press Agency, adding that only 16 municipalities in the northeastern Slovenia was declared high-risk zone before the confirmation.

According to the National Veterinary Administration, all the necessary preventive measures have been enforced since Sunday, when the presence of H5 was confirmed in a swan found just outside Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, last Thursday.

The Health Ministry and the Public Health Institute insisted that the confirmation of H5N1 does not mean increased risk for human health, but people are urged to avoid contact with wild birds.

Slovenia is still awaiting confirmation from the EU reference laboratory in Britain's Weybridge. The samples were sent also to Padua because the Weybridge lab is inundated with work.

Meanwhile, Cadonic Spelic, head of Slovenia's Veterinary Administration, said on Thursday that the H5 virus was confirmed in another three swans recently found dead in Maribor.

Source: Xinhua