The Russian Emergencies Ministry held exercises on fighting against bird flu in Pushkino village, Omsk Region. Infected poultry extermination.
Photo: Sergey Bykhovez
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Bird Flu in Moscow Region
// Two people put into hospital
Two farmers of Moscow Region have been put into hospital on suspicion of being infected with bird flu virus strain deathly for humans, said Vesti 24 TV channel. According to Russia’s chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko, the discovered virus is the H5N1 strain, life-threatening for people.
Alexei Panteleev, acting governor of Moscow Region, said that strict quarantine is now imposed on all bird farms in the region.
It is the second case of avian flu in Russia in 2007. The first case was discovered in three farms of Krasnodar area in late January 2007.
The H5N1 strain of avian flu virus was first discovered in 2003 in South-East Asia, and was then carried by migrating birds to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Nearly 150 people and over 200 million of birds have died of H5N1 virus.
Despite all efforts of doctors, the effective vaccine was not found yet. There still remains the risk of global epidemic. The World Bank estimated that should it happen, the world economy will lose about 3 percent of the gross national product (GNP), which is equal to $1 trillion of damages for global economy.
www.kommersant.com
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