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H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Confirmed in Nalobino Kazakhstan
Recombinomics Commentary
August 19, 2005
"Laboratory tests on the blood of seven (dead) birds detected bird flu antibodies in three of them," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
The seven domestic birds were found dead on Aug. 15 and 16 in Nalobino, a northern Kazakh village near the Russian border, it said. A quarantine had been put in place.
The above confirmation reinforces spread of H5N1 wild bird flu near the leading front of the migration path in Kazakhstan, which parallels the path in southern Siberia (see map). In Kazakhtsan, the initial test of suspected H5N1 birds uses a hemagglutinin inhibition test that measures antibodies. The most recent positives in Kazahkstan have been in the northwest corner of the country. These recent confirmations have broadened the leading edge of the H5N1 westward path and may reflect additional movement of H5N1 from less populated regions in Kazakhstan.
The outbreaks are likely to increase, as more birds move to the west and east into warmer regions. The birds along the southern frint in Kazahkstan are likely to migrate to the Caspian Sea region, where there have been mixed reports of bird deaths,
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