The discovery of avian flu in four dead swans on a German island prompted the Health Ministry Wednesday to implement wide-ranging containment measures. The swans were found Friday on the Baltic resort island of Rugen near Denmark and Sweden. Tests on two of them have come back positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. German Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer announced the government has declared a 2-mile security zone around the site where the swans were found, Deutsche Welle reported. All poultry farmers within 7 miles of the site were ordered to keep livestock indoors to minimize exposure to wild birds. The enclosure order will apply across Germany starting March 17, Seehofer said. The EU Observer said Greece, Italy and Slovenia also registered cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu last weekend, while Austrian authorities confirmed on Tuesday cases of the H5 strain in two swans found near the southern city of Graz. Health officials are concerned the virus will mutate and become communicable among humans. So far, some 80 deaths, mostly in Asia, have been a result of contact with infected birds. © Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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