Bird flu ducks from Romania tested
Three domestic ducks that died of bird flu in Romania are being tested in Britain to see if they were infected with H5N1, the strain that makes humans ill.
H5N1 is the strain of bird flu scientists fear could mutate and spawn a human flu pandemic that would infect from person to person instead from bird to human, reported the Independent.
The dead ducks were found in the village of Ceamurlia near the Black Sea in September. Samples were sent to a laboratory in Bucharest, where bird flu antibodies were found.
The lab could not determine the exact strain of the virus and sent the samples to Britain. The results are expected in a few days.
Romanian officials ordered nearly all the domestic fowl in Ceamurlia killed and banned hunting in the Danube delta. In addition, people have been restricted from entering and leaving the village.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
