Ukraine lifts state of emergency in bird flu-affected area
30/12/2005 11:42
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree on Thursday, lifting
the state of emergency in the bird flu-affected Crimea peninsula, the
presidential press service said. An outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu
epidemic in the region has been eliminated and authorities will take necessary
measures to prevent new cases, said the press service. Nearly 70,000 domestic
fowls have been culled in Crimea so far since Ukraine reported its first
outbreak of the disease in a dozen villages on the peninsula in early
December. The local government paid 1,460,000 hryvnya (about US$290,000) in
compensation to villagers who suffered from the culling. The Agricultural
Ministry confirmed on Dec. 3 that the H5 sub-strain bird flu virus was detected
in villages in Crimea. Yushchenko then announced a state of emergency in the
affected areas. Up to now, no human cases of the disease have been reported
in Ukraine. The H5N1 bird flu virus, which experts fear might mutate into a
new type that easily transmits among humans, has killed more than 70 people in
Asia.
Xinhua news
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