All poultry with bird flu slaughtered in Western Siberia

NOVOSIBIRSK, August 2 (RIA Novosti) - Veterinaries have started slaughtering all poultry with bird flu in the Novosibirsk region (the south of Western Siberia), a senior official has said.

More than 65,000 domestic fowl in 13 settlements where quarantine measures were imposed last week following an outbreak of bird flu will be slaughtered and burned to prevent the virus spreading, Deputy Governor of the Novosibirsk region Viktor Gergert said.

Compensation will be paid to the local population, he added.

He also said that local residents would be able to acquire new fowl no sooner than 21 days after the local veterinary service gave its permission to do so.

The bird flu outbreak in the western part of the Novosibirsk region was registered in mid-July. Migrating birds are thought to have brought the virus. Although humans can contract the disease, nobody in the region has done so yet, Gergert said. He said people could contract the virus after eating undercooked meat, but added that a temperature of 70-80 degrees Celsius was enough to kill the bird flu virus.