Alarm grows as H5N1 spreads around Moscow

26 Feb, 2007 06:55 / Updated 17 years ago

Russia's Emergencies Ministry has confirmed that bird flu has been found within the Moscow city limits and in the central Kaluga region. Last week it was detected in eight districts of the Moscow region.

So, Russia's capital is now virtually surrounded by outbreaks of the H5N1 strain.More than 2,000 birds have been culled, including those from the capital's bird market which is thought to be the origin of the outbreak.Russian health officials say the H5N1 type found in Russia's central district could pose a threat to humans.However, no human cases have been reported so far.