Romania confirms bird flu outbreak

BUCHAREST, Romania, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Romanian authorities imposed security measures Friday in villages in the Danube River delta area where a bird flu outbreak was reported.

Nicolae Lazar, head of the Romanian Animal Health Department, said experts confirmed a bird flu case at a farm in Murighiol village in the Danube delta in eastern Romania, the Romanian Mediafax news agency reported Friday.

No case of bird flu with humans has been reported. Laurentiu Militaru, deputy head of the health department in Tulcea, said about 1,500 people in Murighiol were vaccinated against flu and another 3,500 people in surrounding villages would be inoculated in coming days.

Thousands of fowls were culled in the Murighiol region and authorities began supervising farms across the country.

Romania has banned the transportation of poultry, meat and eggs, Lazar said.

In neighboring Serbia, the veterinary agency introduced special inspection at the border with Romania as Belgrade authorities banned importation of fowls from Romania, the Serbian news agency Beta said.