WARSAW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Five chickens have been found infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus on a private farm in Poland in the latest outbreak of the disease in the country, state news agency PAP said on Monday.

Emergency services set up a safety perimeter around the site near the northern city of Olsztyn and special disinfection mats were placed on roads in the region.

"It is too early to say whether the decision to kill all poultry in the village will be made," Adam Wojtaszek, spokesman for the Olsztyn veterinary authorities, was quoted as saying by the agency.

"All our actions are now focused on ensuring the disease does not spread," he added.

This is the seventh case of the H5N1 bird flu virus discovered in Poland since the start of December, when the first case was found in central Poland at a turkey farm 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Warsaw.

One of the European Union's biggest poultry producers, Poland exported 230,000 tonnes of poultry to European markets last year. (Writing by Karolina Slowikowska; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

AlertNet news is provided by