March 31, 2006

Russia confirms H5N1 bird flu in Volgograd region

The Russian federal food quality watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor officially confirmed Thursday (Mar 30) the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the Volgograd region of Russia.

The death of 80 chickens and three turkeys in the village of Vesyolyi in the Kotelnikovsky district of the Volgograd region had been caused by the virus, according to laboratory tests, Rosselkhoznadzor said.