Ukraine 'has deadly bird flu'
2005-12-09 18:07
Kiev - A Russian laboratory has confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Ukraine, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported on Friday, but Ukrainian veterinary officials said they had received no such information.
Sergei Dankvert, the chief of Russia's Federal Veterinary Service, was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying that a laboratory in the Russian region of Vladimir had confirmed the strain was "the so-called Asian strain H5N1 that poses a potential threat to man".
Petro Kovalenko, a senior official at Ukraine's Veterinary Service, said "we didn't receive any confirmation". He refused to comment on whether the Russian laboratory results would satisfy Ukraine, saying the main priority was to continue working to stem the outbreak.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said they would wait for results from a laboratory in Britain, which they believed would be more definitive and which were not expected until next week.
The H5N1 strain has killed at least 69 people in Asia and devastated bird flocks. Experts fear the strain could trigger a human pandemic if it mutates into a form easily passed between people.
Ukraine recorded its first case of bird flu on Saturday, and immediately declared three regions under a state of emergency and quarantine.
More than 35 000 domestic fowl were killed in a mandatory cull, and 1 504 villagers were put under medical observation, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.
The Ukrainian Health Ministry reported on Friday that the H5 strain had been confirmed in nine villages, while dying birds were reported in a total of 16 villages and the city of Simferopol.
The Agriculture Ministry said eight villages had confirmed cases. It was not immediately possible to explain the discrepancy.
There have been no cases of human infection recorded in Ukraine, Health Ministry spokesperson Anna Trubacheva said.
The Russian veterinary service press department could not immediately confirm the Itar-Tass report, and the laboratory, the All-Russia Research Institute of Animal Protection, referred callers to the Agriculture Ministry in Moscow, which oversees the vet service.
- AP