PRAGUE, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Tests confirmed further cases of the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus in the Czech Republic, State Veterinary Administration spokesman Josef Duben said on Wednesday.

    The virus has been detected at the farms in Netreby and in Chocen, within a three-kilometer zone around Norin, east Bohemia area, where the infection already occurred at a broiler farm at the end of June, Duben said.

    The afflicted farm in Netreby breeds some 17,000 pieces of poultry. The one in Chocen breeds some 54,000 pieces of poultry.

    The poultry at the afflicted farms will probably start to be liquidated on Thursday morning.

    The police have closed the farms down along with access roads.

    Three cases of dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu had already been uncovered in Czech last month.

    The first case of bird flu in the Czech Republic was found in March 2006 after which 13 cases of the disease have been registered. In all cases birds have been infected by the H5N1 virus, which also poses danger to human beings.