Presence of bird flu confirmed in Slovakia

The presence of bird flu in Slovakia was confirmed by the laboratory tests on samples from two dead birds infected by the dangerous H5N1 virus, Agriculture Minister Zsolt Simon said on Thursday. Samples from the two dead birds were sent to laboratories in Great Britain and the results will be ready in five days. On Monday night, the State Veterinary Institute laboratories in Zvolen reported that the H5 virus had been found in two samples taken from wild birds. The first sample was from a duck that was discovered in an area near the Slovnaft oil refinery in Bratislava, while the second was from a dead falcon found in the Gabcikovo dam area. On Tuesday, a three-kilometre exclusion area and a ten-kilometre supervision zone were set up around the sites where the dead birds were found. Within these areas, it is strictly forbidden to move products and domestic birds. In addition, bird hunting is also banned.