December 15, 2005

Ukraine confirms H5N1 bird flu in 11 villages

Ukraine's Health Ministry confirmed Wednesday that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been found in 11 Crimean villages.

The Asian strain was confirmed by laboratory tests as being present in 11 out of the 25 villages where bird deaths have been recorded on the Black Sea peninsula, said spokeswoman Anna Trubachova.

A Russian veterinary official last week had provided similar confirmation, citing tests conducted at a Russian laboratory. But Ukraine had refused to confirm the report, saying they were waiting for results from a UK laboratory.

Trubachova could not immediately provide any more details beyond what was on the Health Ministry's statement. The statement gave no information about where the tests had been conducted.

Ukraine recorded its first case of bird flu Dec 4 as some 2,500 birds died on the Black Sea peninsula. The area affected is covered by marshy wetlands near the Azov Sea and is a popular resting place for migratory birds.

So far all the cases of confirmed bird flu have been confined to those three regions where the virus first appeared, but reports of dead birds have spread to other parts of the peninsula.