Bird flu is spreading further among poultry in Poland, the Polish Agricultural Ministry said in Warsaw on Monday, according to dpa. The H5N1 strain of the virus, which is also dangerous to humans, had been found on a poultry farm in Sadlowo, north-west of Warsaw, Polish Agricultural Minister Marek Sawicki said. The farm was only 2 kilometres away from another farm where the virus had been found on Saturday. The case is the fourth within the last 10 days. All affected farms are in the north-western part of the Masowien region, some 100 kilometres away from the capital. Some 360,000 chickens were due to be culled throughout the day. The farm itself was surrounded by a protection and surveillance zone. Polish poultry farmers fear serious financial losses. Sawicki called the economic consequences of the epidemic "serious." The area is considered important for poultry farming. Russia and Hong Kong meanwhile have cancelled poultry imports from Poland, television station TVN24 reported. Bird flu in Polish poultry was found for the first time on two farms near Plock, where 4,000 turkeys were culled.
