Slovenia confirms first case of H5N8 bird flu

Reuters

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia confirmed on Wednesday its first case of H5N8 bird flu, detected in a swan in the town of Pragersko some 120 km (75 miles) northeast of the capital Ljubljana, officials said. Farmers in the area will be required to keep their poultry indoors to prevent the spread of the virus to farm animals, Matjaz Emersic, a spokesman for the National Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection, told Reuters. Cases of bird flu have been found in a number of countries across Europe in recent months, including in all of Slovenia's neighbors: Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy. The Czech Republic and Bulgaria also announced cases of bird flu on Wednesday. (Reporting By Marja Novak; Editing by Gareth Jones)