Authorities in France say they are testing two dead ducks for bird flu infection, results should be announced very soon. The ducks were found in a wildlife reserve in the Somme region, north of Paris. A swan, found dead near Lyon tested negative for bird flu.

The following European countries have just recently confirmed H5N1 infection of birds:

-- Austria
-- Bulgaria
-- Germany
-- Greece
-- Italy
-- Slovenia

Many EU countries are planning mass vaccinations of their poultry stocks. These plans will be presented to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and will be decided on next week.

If infection can be kept just to wild birds, the chances of humans becoming infected are virtually zero.

Ornithologists say birds (especially mute swans) have been migrating further west this year because of the severe winter weather in some parts of Europe. Experts in the UK say mute swans tend to remain in the UK all year round (non-migratory) - they say the chances of infected swans flying into the UK to escape severe weather are small.

The European Union is bracing itself for the coming of Spring, when birds migrate from Africa, where bird flu is spreading fast (Nigeria).