Poultry meat from Slovak farmers is safe

Altogether 226 samples of dead birds were delivered to the State Veterinary Institute on Friday to be examined for potential infection with the H5N1 virus. So far no other H5N1 positive finding has been confirmed, a spokesperson for the Agriculture ministry stated. Only two samples of wild birds in Slovakia have been positive for H5N1 so far.

Poultry meat from Slovak farmers is currently safe and every product has to undergo checks at several levels before it reaches store shelves, according to Agriculture Minister Zsolt Simon. Alexander Sabo, a professor from Trnava University who specialises in viruses, assumes it is most unlikely that the H5N1 virus will reach pandemic proportions. He said that this virus appeared in Europe in 1959, 1969 and in 1975 but back then it didn't receive so much media attention.

People from Roma settlements are among those most at risk of catching the dangerous bird-flu virus, Pravda daily reports. Many of the Roma live in the countryside, and often come into contact with dead animals. Although they need to take more care, no one is going to their settlements to warn them of the danger, claim experts. According to Roma community expert Rastislav Pivon, the poorest and most backward settlements are at greatest risk. Some action is being taken. The Public Health Office in co-operation with the Office of the Proxy for Roma Communities has decided to distribute 50,000 leaflets written in both the Slovak and Romany languages. These contain basic information about bird flu and how it can be caught.

On Thursday, the State Veterinary Institute confirmed that the samples from two dead birds found in Slovakia were infected with the dangerous H5N1 virus. The first sample was from a duck that was discovered in Bratislava, near the Slovnaft oil refinery, while the second was from a dead falcon found in the Gabcikovo dam area, in the southern part of Slovakia.

Inspections and preventative measures have been launched right away. In Podunajske Biskupice, in Bratislava, located in the three-kilometer exclusion area where the infected bird was found, the State Veterinary Institute checked 20 breeders. According to a vet, only four of them followed the required measures. The concept of these measures says that the aviary must be closed from all sides and birds have to be isolated from the surroundings. Further results of the veterinary inspection have shown that even though Slovakia took various measures against bird-flu on Tuesday, many poultry breeders haven't respected them, according to the Pravda daily.

Vaccination of poultry is not a good solution, stated the Regional Veterinary and Food Administration head. The vaccinated poultry has better chances to survive, but then it can become a source of the infection. As he stated the bird flu in Slovakia is a veterinary problem and they are using all veterinary means to solve it. According to the Veterinary and Food Administration head, the number of breeds will decrease in the two areas of Slovakia, where the two infected wild birds were recently discovered. It is forbidden to move poultry and domestic birds. Bird hunting has also been banned.