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update:May 22, 2006
First H5N1 case in Denmark poultry
The first case of H5N1 bird flu in poultry has been confirmed on
Funen island in Denmark.
The farm consisted of around 100 birds, including laying hens, ducks, geese
and peacocks, and was located in the same area in Denmark where cases of H5N1
bird flu occurred in wild birds in March.
A vet responsible for the
region said that the birds had been destroyed after the virus was
found.
Authorities have set up a three-kilometre protection zone, and
a 10-kilometre observation area around where the infected birds were
found.
Early yesterday, Denmark halted exports of poultry from Funen.
The government said the outbreak might also force Denmark to halt all its
poultry exports to some countries, not just those from the island. But for now,
exports of poultry originating from outside the observation zones can continue
to EU members.
Denmark has reported a number of cases of the most
virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in wild birds, but this is the first time the
Scandinavian country has reported the H5 virus in poultry.
The H5N1
strain, in its most aggressive form, has killed more than 100 people worldwide,
according to the World Health Organisation.
Editor WorldPoultry
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