Kuwait on Friday announced to detect five new cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising the total number of the cases to 46, local KUNA news agency reported.

The five cases, among 531 samples taken from different areas across the country, were proved positive in a H5N1 virus test, Health Ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Shatti was quoted as saying.

Till Thursday, Kuwait had detected 41 bird flu cases since last Sunday.

On Thursday, Kuwait also found two cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu as a dead chicken and an infected hawk was proved positive in a H5N1 virus test.

Up till now, lab tests for a total of 103 people who had close contact with birds have proved negative, al-Shatti said, affirming that no human bird flu case has been found in the country.

Al-Shatti, meanwhile, called on local farmers not to set their birds free in the street for fear of possible bird flu outbreak in this way as it would lead to the spreading of the fatal virus.

Source: Xinhua