Speaking at a cabinet meeting on 10 January, Putin said special measures must include more stringent health and hygiene checks at marketplaces and on national borders, as well as building up stocks of vaccines.
Earlier on 10 January, a senior regional official in Ukraine said that bird flu had been confirmed in three poultry farms in southern Crimea. In all, the Ukrainian authorities have confirmed 14 outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.
Meanwhile, authorities in countries around Turkey -- including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia -- say they are taking urgent measures to prevent a spread of the disease, which has already infected at least 14 people in Turkey.
(AFP/RIA Novosti)
RFE/RL's World: 2005 In Pictures
A slideshow of images related to the top news stories of 2005 from throughout RFE/RL's broadcast region with links to RFE/RL's reporting.
See also:
2005 In Review: Central Asia Witnesses Revolution, Continued Crackdown
2005 In Review: Does The Presence Of Western Election Observers Make A Difference?
2005 In Review: The Geopolitical Game In Central Asia
2005 In Review: Migrants, Refugees Victims Of Incoherent Laws In Post-Soviet States
2005 In Review: The Transformation Of Television In Russia
2005 In Review: Russia's Centralization Gathers Pace
2005 In Review: A Year Of Hopes, Disappointments For Afghans And Iraqis
