Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr S. Babayeva / The 11th monitoring of 2007 on the prevention of bird flu in Azerbaijan revealed the absence of the virus in the country, the State Veterinary Service attached to the Azerbaijani Agricultural Ministry reported on 30 November.
The monitoring was held from 19 to 30 November, during which time blood samples and pathological samples of wild birds and poultry were examined.
The monitoring covered national parks in the Absheron Peninsula, Pirallahi Island, Davachi, Salyan, Agjabadi, and Lankaran regions, as well as the coastal line of the Caspian Sea. It was held by a special commission including employees of the Veterinary Service, Health Ministry, Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry and the Association of Hunters.
The ban on hunting, eating and the sale of wild birds in Azerbaijan, which was imposed in the autumn of 2005, is still in force. All border veterinary checkpoints are operating with medium security in order to prevent the spread of bird flu in the country.