Fresh bird flu outbreaks confirmed as H5N1 strain

Two fresh outbreaks of bird flu in the Pardubice region of east Bohemia have been confirmed as the H5N1 strain of the disease, which can be passed on to humans and other animals. The farms where the latest cases were detected are in close proximity to the poultry farms where last month bird flu was found in a Czech poultry flock for the first time. Soldiers and fire fighters have begun exterminating around 70,000 birds. The operation is expected to last three to five days.