April 25, 2006

New case of bird flu hits Afghanistan

A new case of the deadly bird flu strain has been confirmed in poultry in the eastern Afghan province of Kapisa, a UN official said Tuesday (Apr 25).

A United Nations-approved laboratory in Italy confirmed that samples recently taken from birds in Kapisa, about 70 kilometres east of the capital, Kabul, carried the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus, said Assadullah Azhari, Kabul-based spokesman for the world body's Food and Agriculture Organization.

Four Afghan provinces have now reported confirmed cases of H5N1, the others being Kabul, Logar and Nangarhar, Azhari told The Associated Press.

The provinces of Laghman and Parwan are also "highly suspected" of having the deadly bird flu virus, but further UN testing is needed, he said.

No human infections have been reported in Afghanistan.