BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania's Agriculture Ministry said Saturday that British lab tests had confirmed the H5N1 (search) strain of Bird flu had been found in Romania.
Agriculture Ministry spokesman Adrian Tibu said agriculture, veterinary officials were holding an emergency meeting Saturday morning with Interior Ministry officials and local leader to decide how to respond to the outbreak.
H5N1 is a particular type of bird flu that has struck parts of Asia, Russia (search) and Turkey (search) and is seen as a candidate to cause a flu pandemic if it mutates into a form capable of spreading easily from person to person.
Because people have not developed immunity to H5N1, unlike the usual strains of human flu, it could have more severe effects on a greater number of people. However, it is also possible that the mutation could create a relatively mild human flu.
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