Russia takes stricter measure to curb avian flu

By Aussiegirl

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Health | canada.com

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's chief veterinarian said Tuesday stricter measures have to be taken to contain the outbreak of the avian flu virus that can infect humans, news reports said.

The virus has been found in five regions in Siberia over the past month. Chief veterinarian Gennady Onishchenko said that no cases of human infection have been found, but "the situation demands a stronger commitment to sanitary and other measures," according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Three of the regions have banned waterfowl hunting in order to minimize human exposure to the virus and to avoid scaring infected birds, which could fly to other lakes and spread the virus, Onishchenko said.

The outbreak of the H5N1 virus was first registered in the Novosibirsk region. Thousands of domestic fowl have either died of the virus or been destroyed to prevent its spread.

Officials have warned that the virus could spread to European Russia - which is more densely populated than Asian Russia - in the autumn when birds migrate south from Siberia.