Roundup: Bird Flu Detected in Russia Adds Fresh Scares to Deadly Virus

Roundup: Bird flu detected in Russia adds fresh scares to deadly virus

MOSCOW/BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) — Russia confirmed on Wednesday that bird flu virus has been detected in poultry in the Tula region in the European part of the country, fuelling fresh scares about the deadly disease.

“The presence of the antigen and genetic material of the H5N1 subtype of the virus has been detected in samples taken from sick birds in a village of the Tula region,” the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Service said in a report cited by the Interfax news agency.

The regional authorities have begun slaughtering poultry in the affected Yandovka village and imposed quarantine measures, the report said.

The genetic structure of the virus and its connection with the virus that caused the outbreak of the disease in Siberia earlier this year are being examined, it added.

To make the situation worse, tests carried out in Britain have confirmed the presence of new cases of the deadly H5N1 virus in Romania at Maliuc in the Danube delta.

“The two samples taken from a swan and a hen at Maliuc have confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus,” said the Romanian Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur.

European countries have geared up responses after the European Union (EU) announced last weekend that bird flu virus were spotted in Turkey and Romania.

Britain said on Wednesday that it has plans to purchase enough vaccine to cover every person in the country.

The Department of Health said Britain needs 120 million doses, two for everyone and the government is inviting manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply.

Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman said the country will introduce new measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Beginning next week, pet birds kept in areas frequented by migratory birds must be kept indoors, trucks carrying live poultry or eggs from countries affected by bird flu will be disinfected upon their return to the Netherlands, he said.

A close neighbor to Greece and Turkey, where the H5N1 strain of the virus has been detected, Israel remained on high alert for a possible outbreak in its territory.

Israeli Agriculture Ministry’s chief veterinarian for fowl, Dr. Shimon Pokomonsky, voiced concerns that wild birds might pass the disease to domestic poultry, which would in turn infect humans.

The top vet urged farmers to be more aware of signs of diseases among their coops.

Meanwhile, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that the risk of bird flu spreading to the Middle East and African countries has markedly increased after the confirmed outbreaks of the virus in Romania and Turkey.

In a statement issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, FAO said it will assist countries in Africa to strengthen surveillance on wild and domestic birds and improve laboratory capacities in order to ensure early detection of the virus in case of an outbreak.

The UN agency said it is particularly concerned about the situation in East Africa.

“The close proximity between people and animals and insufficient surveillance and disease control capacities in eastern African countries create an ideal breeding ground for the virus. The countries urgently need international assistance to build up basic surveillance and control systems,” said FAO’s Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech.

“If the virus were to become an epidemic in eastern Africa, it could increase the risk of the virus to evolve through mutation or re-assortment into a strain that could be transmitted to and between humans,” he said.