Monitoring finds no bird flu in Azerbaijan

Baku, August 25, AssA-Irada

There is currently no bird flu virus in Azerbaijan, according to a five-day monitoring held by the State Veterinary Service (SVS) jointly with the ministries of ecology and health.

The blood and pathological samples taken from 36 wild birds as well as 1,918 domestic birds and those kept in breeding factories will be tested in Baku on Saturday, the SVS spokesman Yolchu Khanali said. The results of the tests will be known by September 1.

The monitoring aiming to look into the possible threat of bird flu was conducted in the densely-populated Absheron and Pirallahi peninsulas as well as in four districts of the country.

Control has been tightened on the Azeri-Russian border after the deadly virus was detected in Russian provinces. Wild birds are expected to migrate to Azerbaijan in late September.

The H5N1 strain was discovered in Azerbaijan in February 2006 and reportedly killed five people.

The worldwide human death toll from the virus has exceeded 100. Experts fear the strain may spread among humans, prompting a global pandemic.*