Poland on Sunday confirmed the presence of the H5 bird flu virus in two dead swans, but said further tests are needed to determine whether it is the lethal H5N1.

Agriculture Minister Krzysztof Jurgiel told a press conference that further tests will be conducted in the European Union reference laboratory in Britain and the result is expected next week.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said Poland is fully prepared for any bird flu outbreak.

The two swans were found dead two days ago on the banks of the Vistula River in the northern city of Torun.

The affected areas have been placed under close surveillance. The central European country has told the EU Commission it will take all necessary measures to contain the virus.

Earlier in the day, the Polish television network TVP3 reported the first case of the H5N1 virus in a swan found dead in north Poland, adding the information has been unofficially confirmed by the head of the veterinary services.

Local veterinary authorities have set up a safety zone of a three km radius around the area where the swan was found, and more protective measures will be taken in the city soon, TVP3 said.

Neighboring Germany has reported several bird flu cases near the border during the past few days.

Polish veterinary authorities have ordered strict surveillance of the border areas, ordering the poultry to be kept indoors.

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