H5N1 Bird Flu Strain Confirmed In 6 More Areas In Afghanistan

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H5N1 Bird Flu Strain Confirmed In 6 More Areas In AfghanistanLast update: 3/8/2007 9:02:30 AMKABUL (AP)--The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed in six additional areas in eastern Afghanistan and in the country's capital, the U.N. said Thursday. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement that samples collected from home-raised poultry tested positive in an FAO-supported laboratory. The FAO confirmed the presence of H5N1 on Wednesday in the Khogiani, Rodat and Bati Kot districts of Nangarhar province, Khas Kunar and Kuz Kunar in Kunar province and in the Shah Shahid area of Kabul. The government has taken immediate action for disinfection, culling and quarantine in affected areas, the FAO statement said without providing further details. The FAO had confirmed cases of H5N1 in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Feb. 20, and in the Sawki district of Kunar on Feb. 24. Afghanistan reported its first outbreaks of H5N1 in March and April last year in the capital Kabul and the provinces of Kapisa, Logar and Nangarhar. There have been no reported infections of humans. Bird flu predominantly affects animals, but the H5N1 virus also has made the jump to humans in some countries, killing at least 167 people worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
(END) Dow Jones NewswiresMarch 08, 2007 09:02 ET (14:02 GMT)

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