# 1025
A reminder that the virus is still out there, circulating in migratory birds as well as poultry, and it isn't just a problem in South East Asia or Egypt.
France finds H5N1 in more swans
From correspondents in Paris
July 31, 2007 09:25am
TWO wild swans found dead in northeastern France at the weekend were carrying the H5N1 bird flu virus, the local veterinary service said today, the second outbreak of the disease in the area this month.
The two birds were discovered dead yesterday in the Moselle region of France. Subsequent tests showed they were carrying the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, Sylvain Rigaux, head of Moselle's animal safety and protection agency, said.
Three swans were killed by the H5N1 strain in Moselle at the start of July - the first such outbreak in France in more than a year.
The French government subsequently raised its alert level to "high", meaning that birds and poultry in mainland France have had to be locked up or protected by nets to avoid all contact with wild birds.
More than 30 countries have reported outbreaks in the past year, in most cases involving wild birds such as swans.
Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of more than 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.
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