Flu virus found in dead birds from Romania
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-13 15:02

Experts have confirmed that a strain of the bird flu virus has been found in samples taken from dead birds in Romania's Danube Delta, the agriculture minister said Thursday.

The samples are being sent to Britain to identify the specific strain. So far there are no indications it is the H5N1 strain, which is blamed for the deaths of more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.

"We hope it's a low intensity virus," said Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur. "We are continuing measures to isolate the affected area."

Veterinary workers place a dead duck in a plastic bag after killing it on suspicion of bird flu disease in the village of Ceamurlia de Jos (300km east of Bucharest) in this October 8, 2005 file picture. A strain of avian influenza has been detected in samples from Romanian ducks, confirming that the virus has arrived in Europe, Romania's chief veterinarian and the Eurpean commission said October 13, 2005.[Reuters/file]

The Interior Ministry has extended a quarantine in the village of Ceamurlia de Jos, where the infected fowl was found, to people. Only authorities are allowed to enter and exit the remote village, which is located in the east of the delta, close to the Black Sea.

Authorities have culled thousands of birds in Ceamurlia to prevent the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, local authorities called in the military to help speed up the culling process.

Experts have been working since Friday to isolate the virus, after three ducks tested positive for bird flu antibodies.

Most cases in humans have been linked to contact with sick birds. But the World Health Organization has warned that the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily from person to person, possibly triggering a global pandemic.