Ducks test positive for bird flu
Updated on 14 August 2007
Four ducks found dead in a pond in eastern France have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, officials have said.
The four ducks were found on August 8 in an area known as Diane Capelle, in the Moselle region, the regional prefecture said.
Since late June, five dead swans found in the region also have tested positive for the deadly strain of the virus.
On Tuesday, Moselle's prefecture extended measures to protect domestic fowl from wild birds that had been put in place after the first case of swan deaths, the statement said.
Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes, and the H5N1 strain has been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission has said.
France experienced a bird flu scare after an outbreak of the lethal disease in February 2006 in the eastern Ain region. It was quickly contained and a vaccination campaign of fowl was launched. However, dozens of countries briefly suspended imports of fowl and luxury items like foie gras from France.
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