Lab tests detected the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in samples from Romanian ducks on Saturday, confirming the virus had arrived for the first time in mainland Europe. A British laboratory testing the samples established that three birds found dead in Romania’s Danube delta last week contained the strain, which has killed over 60 people and caused the death of millions of birds in Asia since 2003.Turkey reported an outbreak of the deadly strain earlier this week and Bulgaria, Romania’s southern Black Sea neighbour, has stepped up controls to guard against a similar outbreak.Experts fear H5N1 could mutate into a virus that spreads easily among humans, creating a pandemic that might kill tens of millions. Romania has not reported any cases of bird flu so far in humans. Turkey tested nine people from the Western town of Turgutlu for possible bird flu on Friday after 40 pigeons died, but no immediate sign of illness was detected, officials said.The Danube delta contains Europe’s largest wetlands and is a major way station for migratory wild birds coming from Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and Germany and heading for warmer Africa, including the Nile delta, for winter. —Reuters
