The European Commission has announced that an outbreak of bird flu at a turkey farm in the Czech Republic appears to be of the the virulent H5N1 strain. The farm is in the Pardubicky Region, district Ústí nad Orlicí, in the centre of the country.

Lab tests yesterday at the State Veterinary Institute in Jihlava and at the National Reference Laboratory in Prague confirmed the presence of H5N1. According to the EC, samples are also being sent to the Community Reference Laboratory in Weybridge for confirmation.

Czech authorities have established a protection zone of three kilometre radius and a surveillance zone of 10 kilometres around the infected holding. The commission will also define a so-called surveillance zone around the immediate area that will act as an additional buffer to prevent the spread of the illness.

Strict movement controls are also in place, with farmers being instructed to keep poultry indoors. "Gatherings of poultry and other birds are also prohibited." ®

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