Poland has its first case of H5N1, the most virulent strain of bird flu, the Polish television network TVP3 reports. It said H5N1 had been detected in a swan found dead two days ago in Torun, in northern Poland, saying it had received unofficial confirmation from the head of Poland's veterinary service.
The deputy head of the veterinary service Janusz Zwiazek told AFP it was "probably the H5N1 virus".
"Samples have been sent to Britain (to the European Union reference laboratory). Definitive confirmation will take several days," he said, adding that the agriculture ministry would release more details at midday.
TVP3 said a crisis cell had installed a security zone of three kilometres (two miles) radius around the spot where the bird was found.
A spokesman for the crisis cell, Tadeusz Wierzba, told the private television TVN24 that it was "still awaiting confirmation over whether it is definitely H5N1."
Several cases of bird flu have been detected in the past few days in Germany near its border with Poland as well as in neighbouring Slovakia
Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz had said Saturday that Poland was ready to tackle the situation. "When the virus is discovered, which has to be expected, all the specialist services will be mobilised."
He emphasised that this was "a disease of birds, not of humans."
"It is more of an economic problem than a medical one, but we are ready to confront it," he added.
