Bird flu confirmed in southern Hungary
The H5 bird flu virus has been detected in three swans found in Bács-Kiskun county, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány announced early Wednesday afternoon. EU authorities were notified Tuesday evening.
Gyurcsány said the authorities are taking all necessary precautionary measures, adding that the virus is an animal disease and is only hazardous to human beings under very specific circumstances not found in Hungary. He told those who find birds that appear to be ill to call the free governmental telephone number 189 and to avoid touching them. The announcement was made after Gyurcsány consulted Agriculture Minister József Gráf, head veterinarian Miklós Süth and Health Ministry state secretary Mária Vojnik.
In Stockholm Zsuzsanna Jakab, leader of the European Centre for the Prevention of Diseases, said the spread of bird flu to humans can be prevented by taking appropriate protective measures.
Népszabadság said the virus has been present in Hungary for at least 10 days, as that was when the infected swans were found. The presence of the disease was ascertained by Wednesday. Specimens of the virus have been relayed to the EU Weybridge laboratory near London, where tests will show whether the sub-type of the virus which killed the swans is the H5N1 strain, which is dangerous to humans. The bodies of nine swans were also taken from Esztergom to the National Animal Health Institute in Budapest on Wednesday for tests.
A three-kilometre zone has been put under quarantine conditions with checks carried out in villages within a ten-kilometre radius on Wednesday. Local residents began killing household poultry in response, Népszabadság reports.
The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.
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