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Zimbabwe has suspended exports of ostrich and other poultry after discovering a strain of avian flu that can be lethal to birds, but poses little risk to humans.

Thursday, Zimbabwe's state-run newspaper The Herald reported that the H5N2 strain of avian flu was detected on two farms in Zimbabwe's Matabeleland province.

It quotes the state veterinary services director, Dr. Stuart Hargreaves, as saying the virus was confirmed with samples sent to South Africa.

The H5N2 strain of avian flu is not known to pass from birds to humans, unlike the H5N1 strain that has killed nearly 70 people in Southeast Asia since 2003.

Dr. Hargreaves says all of Zimbabwe's ostrich farms have been placed under quarantine until a national survey can determine the full extent of virus outbreak.