ITAR-TASS, Russia
Mass death of birds reported at Stavropol poultry farm
06.03.2006,
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=4058777&PageNum=0STAVROPOL, March 6 (Itar-Tass) - A mass death of birds has been reported at the Bogoslovskaya poultry farm in Russia's Stavropol territory. Of the 100,000 birds at the farm, some 10 percent have died in the past two days, officials from the administration of the Kochubeyevsky district, where the farm is located, told Itar-Tass on Monday.
According to preliminary conclusions by epidemiologists, the death was caused by the so-called pseudo plague /Newcastle disease/ which is not dangerous for humans.
However, bird flu, as a possible cause, has not been ruled out yet. The final report is pending completion of the tests at a laboratory of the Animal Protection Institute in the town of Vladimir.
The poultry farm has been quarantine and veterinary services are implementing the range of measures on it envisioned for combating bird flu: unauthorized personnel are not allowed onto the premises; the poultry farm's shops are subjected to disinfection and dead birds are burnt.