An occurrence of avian influenza has been confirmed at Kosice zoo, eastern Slovakia, the State Veterinary and Food Administration announced on Friday. The National Reference Laboratory in Zvolen, central Slovakia, confirmed the presence of the virus in two samples of muscovy duck (Carina moschata) on Thursday (January 7). The zoo has been closed to the public as of Friday until further notice. "The probable source of infection was a contact between wild birds and those housed in the zoo," said State Veterinary and Food Administration. Two ducks died on January 5, while the other one showed clinical symptoms of the disease.
There were 109 species of birds housed in the Kosice zoo at the end of the last year and their number amounted to 479.
In addition to the closure of the zoo, measures have been taken to prevent the virus from spreading, including immediate destroying of all birds showing clinical symptoms of the avian flu and ensuring the biological safety of birds housed in the zoo.
Source: TASR
