Ban on poultry imports from Russia and Kazakhstan

The Czech Republic has banned imports of poultry from Russia and Kazakhstan following reports of bird-flu virus in the region. The State Veterinary Office said the measure was indefinite and was in line with EU regulations. An epidemic caused by a dangerous strain of the virus is reported from Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains. Five hundred birds have died of it in the past 24 hours. The strain is the same one that killed dozens of people in Asia.