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Head of State Veterinary Service: Decrease in Number of Migrant Birds Significantly Reduces Risk of Bird Flue Penetration to Azerbaijan

Politics Materials 27 December 2006 19:05 (UTC +04:00)
Head of State Veterinary Service: Decrease in Number of Migrant Birds Significantly Reduces Risk of Bird Flue Penetration to Azerbaijan

Ismayil Hassanov, the Chief of the State Veterinary Service, said that the number of migrant birds living on the territory of Azerbaijan has decreased this year by 50-60% as compared with the corresponding figure of 2005, Trend reports.

If in 2005, 10,000 migrant birds were counted around Baku, today this number is just 4,000-5000, he said.

According to Mr. Hassanov, this fact significantly reduces the risk of the penetration of the avian flue virus to the territory of Azerbaijan.

We have conducted monitorings on the basis of more than 14,000 samples of bird carcasses. Their results did not prove the presence of the virus. A final monitoring this year is being carried out. Its results will be made public only in the beginning of the next year, said Mr. Hassanov.

At the same time, the Head of the State Veterinary Service considers that the threat of the penetration of the virus to the country would be fully reduced till the end of March, 2007.

The monitorings are held by a special commission. This commission consists of specialists of representatives of the Veterinary Service, Ecology, Natural Resources and Health Ministries, as well as representatives of the Hunter Community. They are held on the territories where there is a likelihood of the temporary presence of migrant birds the Absheron peninsula, the Island of Pirallahi, Davachi, Salyan, Aghdjabadi, Lankaran, as well as on the territories of the National Parks parallel to the Caspian coast.

To prevent the penetration of the bird flue virus to the country, all the frontier veterinary points are operating in the medium security, the prohibition on hunting, sale, and eating wild birds in the country still remains in force, as well as the import of poultry and poultry food into the country from those countries where cases of the poisoning with the virus were detected.

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