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H5N1 virus confirmed in swans |
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15:03, July 06, 2007 |
Tests have confirmed that three swans found dead in eastern France were killed by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the French agriculture ministry said yesterday, France's first cases of the disease in over a year.
The "high" level means that birds and poultry in mainland France will either have to be locked up or protected by nets to avoid all contact with wild birds, a ministry official said.
Pigeon races and other events where birds are gathered will be forbidden.
"Michel Barnier, minister of agriculture and fishing, is putting in place the risk-prevention measures corresponding to the shift from the 'moderate' level to the 'high' level," the ministry said in a statement.
Germany said it was raising its assessment of the risk of bird flu following the French announcement and after officials on Wednesday discovered more birds that had died of the H5N1 virus, this time in the eastern state of Thuringia.
Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food yesterday asked veterinary services to be more vigilant in the outlook for possible bird flu cases.
Spain already bans hunting with decoys, outdoor poultry raising and the isolation of breeding areas for wild aquatic birds in high-risk zones like bird migratory paths and wetlands.
In 98 "humid zones" in France, or around 15 percent of the country, there will be special veterinary checks at poultry farms.
French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said on French television that the country was not threatened by a flu pandemic at this stage but that the government would be remain on alert.
"We have to be extremely vigilant because the large flu epidemic that appeared after World War I, also known as Spanish flu, was of avian origin," she said.
In Britain, the government said there were no new measures in place yet although the situation in France was being monitored in close liaison with the European Commission.
"A preliminary outbreak assessment is under way and we are monitoring the risks. We would urge all bird keepers to maintain high levels of biosecurity and vigilance," a spokeswoman said.
The 1918-19 flu killed at least 30 million people worldwide.
France, Europe's biggest poultry producer, increased its precautions against bird flu in June, saying the risk of the disease hitting the country had gone up after it was found in a number of wild birds in Germany and in the Czech Republic.
Source: China Daily/agencies
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