ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 15 (RIA Novosti, Sergei Rudkovsky) - 20,000 birds died of bird flu in the last 24 hours in Krasnodar Territory in southern Russia, the regional emergencies center said Wednesday.
"In the last 24 hours, 19,799 chickens have died in Krasnodar Territory, bringing the total number of dead birds to 328,376," the press service said.
A further 5,690 birds were culled in the Russian Caucasus republic of Daghestan to localize an outbreak of the lethal virus.
The Emergency Situations Center in the south said that since March 13, when vaccination of birds against the virus started, some 300,000 birds have been inoculated in Krasnodar Territory, along with 465,000 in Daghestan and 21,500 in the Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkariya. 30,000 birds have been vaccinated in the republic of Kalmykia in southern European Russia since March 14, and 300,000 in Stavropol Territory since March 11.
Russia's southern regions are particularly at risk from bird flu, as they are a major stopover for migrating birds. This year's spring hunt in the south of the country will likely be cancelled as part of efforts to restrict the spread of the lethal virus.
No human deaths from bird flu have so far been reported in the country.
