Iran's first bird flu outbreak was reported Tuesday after the disease killed 135 wild swans on the country's Caspian Sea coast, the Associated Press reported.

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Laboratory tests confirmed that the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain was responsible for the deaths of the swans over the past two weeks at two locations in the Anzali marshlands.

Bird flu has already been detected in the neighbouring countries of Iraq and Turkey.

Bird flu confirmed in Austria
Austria also reported its first case of bird flu after tests confirmed the presence of H5N1 in two swans that died near the city of Graz. That makes it the fourth European Union country affected by the virus.

In other news, Indonesia reported that a 23-year-old man who died Sunday in Jakarta is that country's latest victim of bird flu. Also, four members of a family from west Java province were in hospital with suspected bird flu symptoms. Tests were being done to confirm whether they're infected with the virus, the AP reported.

So far, bird flu has killed at least 91 people since 2003, the World Health Organization says. The virus has now been detected in central and southeast Asia, eastern and central Europe and west Africa.

The continuing spread of the virus is a concern, experts say, because it increases the likelihood that the virus will mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans. – (HealthDayNews)

Visit our Flu Centre for more information.

February 2006
 

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