Workers load culled chicken onto a vehicle in Balikesir, western Turkey

The European Union has banned the import of live birds and feathers from Turkey because of the threat of bird flu.

EU officials say the ban is needed after tests confirmed the presence of an avian virus in Turkey, where thousands of birds are being killed in an effort to prevent its spread. The officials say they still have not determined which strain of bird flu it is.

But Turkish officials say the outbreak is contained in a small area of the western province of Balikesir.

The European Union is also monitoring the situation in Romania, where tests are underway and more than 1,000 birds have been killed after a suspected outbreak of bird flu.

Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.