Russia finds H5N1 strain of bird flu in Siberia

MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) Russia has found the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus in six dead chickens in Siberia, a regional health official said today.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain was identified in all five dead chickens from Omsk region that were inspected by the Novosibirsk virology and and biotechnology centre Vektor, said Ilya Drozdov, the centre's general director.

It was also found in a dead chicken from the village of Reshety in Novosibirsk region, he told Reuters.

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