New bird flu cases found in Romania as officals sacked
AFP
May 17, 2006

At least ten new outbreaks of bird flu have been detected in Romania, the government announced after it sacked two top veterinary officials for their poor handling of the crisis.

Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur told a news conference that samples from seven farms had been sent to Britain for tests to determine whether the bird flu detected there was the deadliest strain of the virus or not.

A further 25 "possible" outbreaks were also under analysis, he said, adding: "The number of locations where the presence of the virus is confirmed is sure to increase over the next few hours, since analysis usually confirms the preliminary tests carried out at the farms."