Ukraine Says Has No Bird Flu, But On Alert

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has no recorded bird flu cases but has tightened its border controls as the deadly virus spreads in neighbouring Russia and Romania, senior officials said on Wednesday.


"Over the last month or month and a half we have implemented a number of measures to prevent the spread of bird flu to Ukraine," Yuri Melnik, deputy prime minister, told a news conference.

"There are no registered cases of bird flu in Ukraine for now. But the disease is on our southern and northern borders. All our institutions are ready to prevent or limit it."

Ukraine's neighbours -- Romania, Russia and Turkey -- have confirmed the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Parliament last week imposed a six-month ban on imports of poultry from all countries.

The government tightened controls over farmers living near the borders and ordered them to keep birds indoors.

The Agriculture Ministry, the Health Ministry and veterinarians are also testing wild birds and established special telephone lines to coordinate preventive measures.

Source: Reuters