confirmed case of avian influenza in bulgaria
Bulgarian authorities closed off wetlands areas Monday after recieving confirmation of the H5 strain of avian influenza they found in a dead swan from the same area last week.
Veterinarians also prepared to send samples from the infected swan, found partially paralysed in the Danube river, to Britain to test whether it had the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus.
Margarita Kozhuharova, a spokeswoman for the argriculture ministry stated, “The samples from the swan will be sent to the United Kingdom on Monday. We expect the results in a week’s time.”
Since the first H5 case was announced on Friday, vets have tested dozens of waterfowl found dead in wetland areas, including 30 ducks which died at a farm on Sunday.
The state veterinary office authorized police to begin guarding the lakes of Shabla and Durankulak near the northeast border with Romania to prevent people from coming into contact with more than 100,000 wild birds that spend the winter there.