Switzerland said on Monday that it will not vaccinate its poultry for the moment as it is not a suitable way for the country to prevent avian flu.

"In the current situation Switzerland will not vaccinate poultry," Marcel Falk, spokesman for the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, told reporters.

He said vaccination would be too risky for Switzerland as it would make it more difficult to detect avian flu infections in the country.

"Vaccinated animals still get infected and pass the virus to other animals. But they don't get sick and die, so you can't recognize if bird flu has been introduced to the country," he said.

"If bird flu is introduced to our chicken population, it's vital that it's detected quickly," he added.

According to the official, vaccination only makes sense if the virus is widespread, as in Asia, and if it is no longer possible to eradicate it.

On Monday the Swiss government reintroduced a ban on keeping chickens outdoors to prevent contact with migratory birds from Africa that might be carrying the H5N1 virus.

Falk described this as "the most important measure to protect poultry" and said the birds would be kept cooped up "until there is a better solution".

Currently no avian flu cases have been found in Switzerland.

But Switzerland's neighbors - Germany, Italy, Austria and France- have all reported H5N1 cases. Other European countries that reported bird flu cases include Greece and Slovenia.

EU agriculture ministers met on Monday to discuss ways to combat bird flu, including a Europe-wide vaccination program, media reports said.

Source: Xinhua