Bird flu cases reported in S. Sweden

Bird flu cases have been reported in the southern Swedish region of Skane, the country's National Veterinary Institute said Wednesday.

H5N8 bird flu virus was detected in a wild bird found in the municipality of Vellinge.

Bird flu virus was also detected at a poultry farm outside the town of Helsingborg. The farm held around 200,000 fowl and it is not clear how many have been infected, regional veterinary Charlotta Kamaterou told Swedish Television on Wednesday.

The outbreak was discovered after several animals fell ill and some died.

Tests were carried out on Tuesday and were sent to the National Veterinary Institute for analysis. The test results were ready Wednesday and will now be analyzed further.

If it turns out that the farm was hit by a high-risk strain of bird flu, all of its 200,000 birds may have to be put to death. The farm and the surrounding area could also be cordoned off and isolated. Endit