June 26, 2006

Russia reports H5N1 in Siberian Tuva

The Siberian office of the Russian emergencies ministry announced Friday (Jun 23) that an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu had been registered in the constituent Tuva Republic.

The statement said 169 dead wild birds had been collected from the Ubsu-Nur Lake in the Ovyursky district of the Tuva Republic, and the presence of H5N1 in their blood samples had been confirmed by the Kemerovo veterinary laboratory.

Although the emergencies ministry said no more dead birds had been found by Thursday, it warned that further outbreaks are likely towards the end of July among young wild birds as their immunity to the disease is weak.