08.03.2006

Date of first confirmation of the event: 7 March 2006
Date of start of the event: 16 February 2006
An outbreak of avian influenza subtype H5N1 has been reported in chicken in the village of Cuke, Sarande county (Vlore state). All 60 susceptible birds died from the disease.
The diagnosis has been made on 23 February 2006 by the Veterinary Research Institute in Tirana, using haemagglutination inhibition test and agar-gel immunodiffusion, and, on 7 March 2006, by the OIE Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, United Kingdom, using RT-PCR. The results have been positive in both cases (OIE).