Russia reported on Tuesday a bird flu outbreak in the southern
Rostov region, according to news agencies.
A total of 35,000 chickens have died of flu at the
Gulyai-Borisovskaya farm since Dec. 5., Itar-Tass cited Southern
Regional Center of the Emergency Situations Ministry.
The farm had 500,000 chickens in total and lab tests have
confirmed it was the bird flu.
The World Health Organization has warned that the virus could
mutate into a form that is highly infectious among humans and
easily transmissible from person to person. Such a change could
mark the start of a global outbreak.
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2007)