Spain reports first case of lethal bird flu virus

The first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus recorded in Spain has been found in a wild bird in the northern Basque country, the agriculture ministry said yesterday.

The ministry said the stipulated measures had been taken, with a protection zone established and a surveillance zone of six miles around where the bird was found.

Inside the zones the transport of domestic birds and the hunting of wild birds had been banned.


A ministry spokesman said the infected great crested grebe had been discovered in the province of Avala. He played down the danger.

The spokesman said several cases of a less pathogenic strain had already been detected in Spain but had not been made public.

Spain is the 20th country in Europe to report H5N1, according to the website of the World Organisation for Animal Health not including Russia and Turkey.

Experts fear that bird flu cases will increase in Europe with the autumn migration season, though fears of a continent-wide epidemic in the spring proved groundless.


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