Italy decided to adopt new measures against bird flu Saturday, the most important of which is to test migrating birds for the virus, Health Minister Francesco Storace said according to dpa. On Saturday, blood samples were taken from 500 migrating birds in different parts of the country for testing, Italian television reported. In addition, an import ban was imposed on poultry from Croatia, Romania and the other Balkan countries. Fearing a spread of the disease by migrating birds, several Italian regions had already pleaded for a ban on bird hunting. The government adopted the position that it would only impose a ban when there was proof that migrating birds travelling over Italian territory were actually infected with the virus.
