Croatia finds H5N1 in swan and seagulls

A swan found dead in eastern Croatia tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, authorities said today – bringing to three the number of regions in Croatia where the deadly virus has been detected since October.

Several seagulls also tested positive for H5N1, said the head of a state-run Veterinarian Institute, Vladimir Savic.

The seagulls were among about 70 birds caught alive for testing in the southern Pantan ornithological reserve after a swan found dead there tested positive for the virus.

In eastern Croatia, the swan was discovered last week in the Baranja region, on the shores of the Danube River, which separates Croatia from neighbouring Serbia.

Tests conducted in Croatia showed it was infected with H5N1, Agriculture Ministry spokesman Mladen Pavic said.

Pavic said the swan was not part of a flock, and was believed to have come from another area, possibly Serbia or neighbouring Hungary, which also have recorded bird flu cases recently.

Croatia discovered its first H5N1 case in October in a dozen swans found dead in central Croatia. Last month, two other swans – found on a southern island and the nearby coastal Pantan reserve – also tested positive for H5N1.

The Agricultural Ministry has this month ordered farmers to keep their poultry indoors to try to prevent them from getting the virus from wild birds.