Danish birds test negative for virus

Tests done on dead birds found in southern Denmark have turned up no sign of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said today.

Most of the 35 birds were found near the border with Germany, where authorities identified the first cases of the virus in that country earlier in the week.

Still, the administration said Denmark would continue to monitor the situation closely, and scientists warned it was only a matter of time before the virus made it to the Nordics.

“It doesn’t mean we’ll scale down the preparedness – on the contrary,” Minister for Family and Consumer Affairs Lars Barfoed said. “With the discovery in Germany of the bird flu, it is very close to us under all circumstances.”

Following the German cases, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on Wednesday ordered farmers with more than 100 birds to keep their poultry indoors, to prevent them from coming into contact with infected migrating birds.