Czechs confirm H5N1 bird flu at two more farms

PRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) Tests confirmed the H5N1 type of the bird flu virus in poultry at two farms in the eastern Czech Republic, the State Veterinary Authority (SVS) said today.

The virus was found at the two farms with 71,000 poultry, bringing the number of outbreaks at Czech farms to four.

Vets were preparing to cull all birds on the farms today, spokesman Josef Duben said.

''It was H5N1, we had expected that and taken standard protective measures,'' he added.

The Czechs found their first bird flu case, which involved the lethal H5N1 strain, at a turkey farm in the eastern part of the country in June.

The two farms where disease was reported yesterday are within a 3-km (1.9-mile) protective zone around another farm where H5N1 had been found.

Vets have extended the standard 3-km protection zone and 10-km surveillance zone to include the two farms.

More than 30 countries have reported bird flu outbreaks in the past year, mostly in wild birds.

Since late June, Germany has reported the H5N1 virus in dozens of wild birds and in a pet goose.

Globally, H5N1 has killed nearly 200 people out of more than 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.

REUTERS AE SSC1406