Kuwait confirms 20 cases of avian flu in birds

Kuwait has confirmed 20 cases of the deadly avian flu in birds including falcons, chickens and turkeys, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said Sunday. Ahmed al-Shatti said there were no human cases and an emergency plan has been activated. He the cases were found at the Kuwait Zoo, farms and a clinic for falcons. The zoo and bird markets would be closed temporarily, and exports and imports of birds would be halted, he said. This small oil-rich state last confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus was in 2005 when officials discovered the disease in a flamingo.