France finds H5N1 flu virus in two more swans

PARIS, July 31 (Reuters) Two wild swans found dead in northeastern France at the weekend were carrying the H5N1 bird flu virus, the local veterinary service said, the second outbreak of the disease in the area this month.

The two birds were discovered dead on Sunday in the Moselle region of France. Subsequent tests showed they were carrying the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, Sylvain Rigaux, head of Moselle's animal safety and protection agency, told Reuters.

Three swans were killed by the H5N1 strain in Moselle at the start of July -- the first such outbreak in France in more than a year.

The French government subsequently raised its alert level to ''high'', meaning that birds and poultry in mainland France have had to be locked up or protected by nets to avoid all contact with wild birds.

More than 30 countries have reported outbreaks in the past year, in most cases involving wild birds such as swans.

Globally, the H5N1 virus 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 SAM VP0456