Romanian authorities are reporting new cases of bird flu in remote villages in the southwestern part of the country.
Officials say they have ordered the slaughter of more than 8,000 chickens, after determining that they were victims of an H5-type of bird flu. They say samples are being sent to a laboratory to determine if the infected birds contracted the highly dangerous H5N1 strain that has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.
Romania is located on a major flyway for migrating wild birds, and it was the first country on the European mainland to detect a case of the deadly strain.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament has approved measures to deal with a possible crisis. These include creation of an improved early warning system and a coordinated emergency plan in the event of a pandemic.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.