September 6, 2007

Southern Russia grapples with bird flu and swine fever

Russian authorities are culling more than 20,000 birds at a poultry farm in the Krasnodar Territory just after having to cull pigs due to swine fever in the Stavropol Territory.

A spokesman for the territorial veterinary service earlier said a regional laboratory had identified the lethal H5N1 virus, and that measures were being taken to contain the spread.

A local prosecutor said criminal charges could be pressed against the farm's managers.

The Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations issued a warning last month on the threat of an outbreak in the Chelyabinsk Region, in the south Urals.