Croatia detects new case of H5 bird flu in dead swan

Croatia has confirmed the presence of an H5 bird flu virus in a dead swan on the Adriatic coast, but further tests will determine whether it is the lethal H5N1, an official was cited by state news agency Hina as saying on Saturday.

Mate Brstilo, head of the veterinary service of the Agriculture Ministry, said the H5 virus was detected in a swan found dead near the coastal town of Trogir in the southern Adriatic.

"We assume it's the H5N1 type but we will know more next week," Brstilo said, adding Croatia will take all necessary measures to monitor the area and contain the virus.

Trogir is near the southern island of Ciov where the deadly H5N1 was reported in a dead swan earlier this week.

As a precautionary measure, the country has culled some 30,000 poultry in villages around the infected area.

Croatia, which lies under one of the main flightpaths for migratory birds, reported its first bird flu case last October when H5N1 was found in six wild swans in eastern Croatia.

Cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, which has killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, have been reported in eight EU countries -- Austria, Germany, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Source: Xinhua