Minister says bird flu now likely in Czech Republic - though no cases uncovered yet

Agriculture Minister Jan Mladek has said that bird flu - the deadly H5N1 virus - has likely already reached the Czech Republic, although no cases have been uncovered yet. The minister made the comment on Sunday during a discussion programme on the commercial broadcaster TV Nova. On Sunday the spokesman for the Czech State Veterinary Authority, Josef Duben, also confirmed no cases of the virus had been found - with more than 500 wild and more than 100 domestic specimens all testing negative. All of the Czech Republic's neighbours - Poland the latest on Sunday - have now confirmed cases of the virus.