08 February 2007, 22:37
Threat of avian flu virus persists in Azerbaijan
Today, Mr. Oktaj Shiraliev, Minister of Public Health of Azerbaijan, has informed journalists that the potential threat of avian flu virus still persists in the country.
The inspections, held by the Ministry of Public Health of the country, indicate that there is no due vigilance among the regional veterinary services and the population. During the conducted spot-checks in the regions, trading points have been revealed, where they are still selling wild birds, although Azerbaijan has been for two years under the ban of hunting wild birds, the Minister has told.
Mr. Shiraliev has emphasized that the World Health Organization (WHO) is actively helping Azerbaijan in resolving the problem of fighting the virus.
Meanwhile, the temporary suspension of importing fowl and poultry products from the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan is still in force.
The authorities cannot exclude introduction of similar temporary prohibition measures on import of poultry products and meat from other regions of Russia should the H5N1 virus be detected there too. So far, the ban has been enforced on import of chicken meat from England, Hungary and South Asia, where cases of avian flu were registered.
Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent
