Bulgaria is bracing for a spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu following a rash of cases in neighbouring countries, its agriculture minister said on Monday according to Reuters. "The possibility of this is high," Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil told private television BTV. "We are ready to identify, isolate and destroy bird flu centres if it emerges." The virus has killed birds in dozens of villages in Bulgaria's northern neighbour Romania, while to the south Turkey has reported its first human cases. Kabil said that of 31 cases in Romania, the latest two were from an area close to the northeast Bulgarian town of Silistra. Scientists believe wild birds carried the virus south from Siberia to Romania's Danube delta and Turkey. Kabil said veterinary services were on high alert following the flight of 5,000-6,000 white-headed geese from the Danube delta to two large Bulgarian lakes near the Romanian border. --More 23 48 Local Time 20 48 GMT
