Czech Republic Prepares for Avian Flu

CzechRep gets prepared for autumn wave of bird flu
Prague- The Czech Republic is preparing for a another wave of bird flu in connection with the autumn migration of birds, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes.

"We of course reckon with it. In summer, bird flu arrived in Romania and Hungary. It therefore seems clear that the virus will get to our country when the critical autumn time of bird migration again comes," spokesman for the State Veterinary Administration, Josef Duben, told the paper.

The H5N1 strain is likely to appear especially in regions where water fowl living in the open gather.

"But one cannot exclude that there will be another virus or that H5N1 will somehow mutate," Duben said.

Experts hope that the number of infected birds would be lower than last winter when some 14 cases were detected. In the critical areas, special measures were introduced.

The current supply of antiviral medicines is enough for 13 percent of the population. The country's aim is to have medicines for 20 percent of Czechs. The supplies are to increase next year as the government earmarked 350 million crowns for the purchase of medicines, the paper writes.



Author: ČTK.