UPDATE 2-Czechs cull turkeys after H5N1 bird flu outbreak

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By Petr Josek

TISOVA, Czech Republic, June 21 (Reuters) - Czech veterinarians started culling several thousand turkeys at a farm on Thursday after tests confirmed the country's first outbreak of a deadly form of bird flu in poultry.

Veterinary officials declared protected areas of up to 10 km in radius around the farm in Tisova, 150 km (94 miles) east of Prague, in which protective measures will be taken, including testing of animals and a ban on moving poultry.

The State Veterinary Authority said test results released on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu type that is potentially deadly to humans.

"The farm has been sealed off and the flock is being liquidated," Farm Minister Petr Gandalovic said in a statement.

"There certainly is no reason to panic, there is no danger to people if they stick to basic hygiene rules."

Soldiers erected a station to disinfect vehicles, and workers at the farm wore overalls and face masks.

About 1,600 of some 6,000 turkeys at the farm had been already killed by the virus, the veterinary agency said.

There are another 367,000 poultry in the 10 km (6 mile) zone around the affected farm, the veterinary agency said.

No turkeys from the farm have been distributed into the retail network, the news agency CTK said.

The Czechs found about a dozen cases of the H5N1 strain in swans last spring, but have never before recorded a cases in poultry.

The H5N1 virus mainly affects birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and lead to a pandemic.

So far, most human cases can be traced to direct or indirect contact with infected birds and hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled.

Bird flu has been spreading through southeast Asia, killing two people in Vietnam this month, the first deaths there since 2005.

Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.

Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been slaughtered.

Keywords: BIRDFLU CZECH/