RIYADH, March 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's agriculture ministry has said the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been discovered in birds at a house in the east of the kingdom, the official news agency SPA reported. It said in a report late on Thursday the virus was found in peacocks, turkeys, ostriches and parrots at the house last month after a man phoned the ministry about deaths of birds. All birds in the area had been culled, SPA said. No further details were immediately available. The last reported cases of bird flu in Saudi Arabia involved 37 falcons in 2006. Last month, Saudi Arabia lifted bans going back to 2004 on poultry imports from 42 countries. The H5N1 virus has killed 169 people worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation. Health experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily from human to human, unleashing a pandemic that could kill millions.
