10.02.2006

Azerbaijan said on Friday the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza had been found in wild birds on the Caspian Sea. Samples from the birds were sent for tests to London and showed the avian influenza strain was present, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said. Azerbaijan, which has borders with Turkey, Russia, Iran, Armenia and Georgia, has been testing birds after poultry deaths in the south of the country. Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea are both a destination and a major migration route for many birds from Russia and Asia seeking a warmer winter in Africa and Europe.