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Georgia, Croatia, Niger Confirm First Bird Flu Cases

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Three more countries have reported their first cases of the H5N1 virus, as the deadly strain of bird flu continues to spread.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili declared a state of emergency in the western region where officials found the virus in a wild swan. He ordered the culling of all domestic birds near a Black Sea village where the swan died.

Bosnia and Niger have also confirmed the presence of H5N1 in dead birds.

Niger is the third African country with an outbreak of bird flu this month, joining Nigeria and Egypt.

Meanwhile, Paris is hosting an international conference on ways to combat the spread of the disease.

Health experts fear the avian virus could mutate into a form that could be passed between humans.

The disease has spread from Asia and killed more than 90 people since late 2003.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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