Authorities confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in samples taken from the townships of Tuzla and Navodari on Sunday. Checks have been placed on access roads to and fro Tuzla, as the town could not be put under quarantine as it is situated on a national traffic route to Bulgaria. Parts of Navodari, however, are now quarantined as teams of experts seek to slaughter all the local fowl.

The two cases bring the number of Romanian bird flu hotbeds to nine, five of which – including Tuzla and Navodari – are situated in the Black Sea district of Constanta.

The local prefect announced some 30,000 birds will be euthanized in Tuzla and some 5,000 in Navodari starting Monday.