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Bird flu confirmed in Poland, Austria

Respiratory Care Weekly, March 8, 2006

World Health Organization authorities in Geneva confirmed Monday that two swans in Poland died from the highly contagious avian flu strain H5N1, and a cat in an Austrian sanctuary tested positive. Chinese authorities also reported the 95th human fatality since 2003 from the virus, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

The disease is rapidly spreading among wild birds in 15 new countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe during recent months. Health officials worry about new strains mutating and spreading to humans from animals that might be carrying the disease and not showing any signs of sickness, reported the Boston Globe.

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