Bird Flu Has Spread, Vets Say
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
The Associated Press
Veterinary officials said Tuesday that an outbreak of the avian flu that can infect humans had spread from the Novosibirsk region to the Altai and Tyumen regions.
The outbreak began in the Novosibirsk region in early July and has killed thousands of domestic fowl. The veterinary service last week identified the virus as the H5N1 strain, which can fatally infect humans, but no human cases have been reported in Russia.
The same strain has been recorded in a village in the adjacent Altai region, and Yevgeny Nepoklonov, a deputy head of the nation's veterinary service, said on NTV television Tuesday that it had now also been found in a village in the Tyumen region, further west in Siberia.
Domestic fowl also died in the nearby Omsk region, but the strain there had not been determined yet.
"A quarantine has been imposed on the affected settlements, and necessary measures are being taken to contain the sources of infection," the veterinary service said in a statement.
The Emergency Situations Ministry said the outbreak already had killed 2,707 domestic fowl, including 325 since Sunday morning.
Authorities in all regions affected by the outbreak have tightened control over poultry farms, disinfecting their workers and checking fowl. The administration of Novosibirsk region has ordered the killing of 65,000 domestic fowl in all 14 villages affected.
Several regional administrations also have imposed bans on poultry sales across provincial borders.
Gennady Onishchenko, the country's chief epidemiologist, sought to assuage public fears during an inspection trip to the Novosibirsk region on Tuesday, saying the outbreak was being successfully contained.
The veterinary service said that the virus apparently had been brought by birds migrating from Southeast Asia.
The Associated Press
Veterinary officials said Tuesday that an outbreak of the avian flu that can infect humans had spread from the Novosibirsk region to the Altai and Tyumen regions.
The outbreak began in the Novosibirsk region in early July and has killed thousands of domestic fowl. The veterinary service last week identified the virus as the H5N1 strain, which can fatally infect humans, but no human cases have been reported in Russia.
The same strain has been recorded in a village in the adjacent Altai region, and Yevgeny Nepoklonov, a deputy head of the nation's veterinary service, said on NTV television Tuesday that it had now also been found in a village in the Tyumen region, further west in Siberia.
Domestic fowl also died in the nearby Omsk region, but the strain there had not been determined yet.
"A quarantine has been imposed on the affected settlements, and necessary measures are being taken to contain the sources of infection," the veterinary service said in a statement.
The Emergency Situations Ministry said the outbreak already had killed 2,707 domestic fowl, including 325 since Sunday morning.
Authorities in all regions affected by the outbreak have tightened control over poultry farms, disinfecting their workers and checking fowl. The administration of Novosibirsk region has ordered the killing of 65,000 domestic fowl in all 14 villages affected.
Several regional administrations also have imposed bans on poultry sales across provincial borders.
Gennady Onishchenko, the country's chief epidemiologist, sought to assuage public fears during an inspection trip to the Novosibirsk region on Tuesday, saying the outbreak was being successfully contained.
The veterinary service said that the virus apparently had been brought by birds migrating from Southeast Asia.
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