Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, said the virus had been confirmed in the Altai territory, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, the Kurgan and Chelyabinsk regions, and Kalmykia (Caspian region).
Cases of bird flu were found among wild and domestic birds, Onishchenko said, adding that no cases had been identified in humans who had contact with infected birds.
Quarantine was imposed on 91 villages but has since been lifted in seven. Birds are continuing to die, though in lower numbers, in the Altai territory and the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions, the official said.
"Domestic poultry [in infected villages] have been killed; no deaths have been reported among wild birds," Onishchenko said.
Analysis of the virus strain has linked it with Southeast Asian strains that have infected humans. Onishchenko said his agency is developing test samples of bird flu vaccines for humans.
