¡¡TIRANA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Veterinary Research Institute director Dashamir Xhaxhiu told a press conference on Tuesday that the tests conducted in England had confirmed the deadchickens found on March 17 near Tirana contain H5 virus.

    The dead chickens were found in the village of Peze-Helmes on March 17, 14 kilometers west of Tirana, the capital city of Albania.

    According to ATA, the Albanian official news agency, the preliminary tests performed by the Albanian Institute of Veterinary Research found the dead chickens were infected by the H5 virus, and samples were sent to Britain for confirmation.

    Xhaxhiu told the conference that all veterinary measures have been taken in the infected village and the area has been put underfull quarantine.

    Meanwhile, it is reported that dead birds were also found in Berat, in the southern part of the country, and in Shkodra, in thenorthern part of the country.

    Albania confirmed its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu ina chicken found in the southern Saranda region on March 8. Enditem