Bird Flu Found in 4th Moscow District

A Russian official reported a 4th outbreak of the H5N1 bird-flu strain in a suburban Moscow district on Sunday.

This is the first outbreak to be recorded so close to the Russian capital. Dead domestic fowl were found in the Taldorn district, north of Moscow. Earlier this month, bird deaths were recorded in 3 districts west and south of Moscow. Tests confirmed H5N1 in poultry found dead in 2 districts, where 24 birds died this week. Another district suspect that 48 bird deaths can be attributed to H5N1 as well. Several people were in close contact with the dead poultry and have been taken in for medical observation, although no health problems have been reported. Russia's 1st reported case of the H5N1 strain was in Siberia in 2005 and there have been no reported human cases since then. The outbreaks have been occurring farther west, but mostly in southern ares distant from the capital. Since it began ravaging Asian poultry farms in late 2003, the H5N1 strain has killed at least 167 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.