The Agriculture Ministry have reported that a strain of bird flu raging in Russia can infect humans.
The virus that is called A H5N1 has killed hundreds of hens, geese, turkeys and ducks in Siberia but as yet no human cases have been reported.
The outbreak in Russia's Novosibirsk region apparently started about two weeks ago when large numbers of chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys began dying. Officials say that all dead or infected birds were incinerated. But it is unclear whether that would effectively stop the virus from spreading.
