Russia confirms bird flu in 3 farms near Moscow

"These are not new cases, but part of the same pattern, where the source can be traced to one and the same place," Nikolai Vlasov, head of veterinary surveillance at animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, told a news briefing.

This month, bird deaths were registered at small private farms in eight districts in the region of Moscow, in the neighbouring Kaluga region and in the republic of Adygeya, a region in the North Caucasus.

As of Thursday, H5N1 virus had been officially confirmed in Moscow's pet market, seven districts in the Moscow region and in Adygeya. It has yet to be confirmed in the Dmitrov district and in the region of Kaluga.

Health officials have traced all outbreaks in the Moscow region to birds bought in the last two weeks at the Sadovod market, commonly known as "Ptichka", or "Birdie".

The Moscow region outbreaks are Russia's second instance of bird flu this year and the first ever so close to the capital.

The third area affected, Adygeya, is surrounded entirely by the southern region of Krasnodar, where H5N1 killed poultry in three settlements last month in the country's first outbreak in 2007.

Vlasov said the outbreak of the virus in Adygeya could have been caused by migrant fowl which nest in winter in this region. No human cases of bird flu have been recorded in Russia.

"All people who have been in contact with the dead birds, especially those who were found to have respiratory diseases have been checked thoroughly, but none have shown any sign of falling ill", Vlasov said.

The emergencies ministry said on Thursday that since February 9 1,500 birds have been culled to prevent the spread of the virus and 355 have died.

The virus has killed 167 people worldwide since 2003, mostly in Asia and in cases where the victims had been in direct contact with infected birds. A total of 274 cases have been recorded in humans.

Health experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, sparking a pandemic that could kill millions. Five people have died from eight cases in Azerbaijan, which borders Russia in the south. Reuters