"Russia is imposing temporary restrictions from June 23 on imports of live poultry, eggs for rearing chickens, poultry meat and all kinds of poultry-farming produce that have not undergone heat treatment, as well as of feeds and additives and used equipment for breeding and processing birds," the Federal Agricultural Agency said.
First diagnosed in Asia in 2003, the disease has spread worldwide and already claimed dozens of human lives. Although no deaths from bird flu have been registered in Russia, figures made public in April indicated that around 1.1 million birds had died of the disease and 300,000 had been culled to control the spread of the virus since the beginning of February.
Russia has developed a program of preventive measures against bird flu for the G8 summit starting on July 15 in St. Petersburg. Russia has declared the fight against infectious diseases a priority for its chairmanship of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations this year.
