Suspect H5N1 in Wild and Domestic Birds in Iran
Recombinomics Commentary 16:11
January 11, 2008
Head of State Veterinary Organization said samples of wild and domestic birds which perished following suspicious respiratory infections resembling bird flu have been sent to Italy for tests. The action was delayed due to New Year holidays, he added.
Mojtaba Norouzi told ISNA on Friday that the birds perished in the vicinity of Anzali International Wetland in Gilan province and an unnamed wetland in Mazandaran province.
The above comments suggest that H5N1 has been found in Iran. Earlier reports had suggested H5N1 had been found in Iran, but official statements denied the reports. However, the findings of dead waterfowl in wetland regions along the shores of the Caspian Sea (see satellite map) point toward H5N1.
Similarly H5N1 has been confirmed in areas near the black sea in Romania, Krasnodar, and Rostov. Samples sent to Italy for tests usually have produced an initial positive locally, or are from birds with clinical signs consistent with H5N1 infections.
Updates on the results from Italy would be useful. H5N1 was confirmed in Iran in 2006.
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