Vladivostok (Russia): Authorities in Russia's Far East Tuesday confirmed the presence of a deadly strain of bird flu in a village in the Primorye territory, where some birds have been found dead last week.

More than 40 birds have been slaughtered at the farm, and quarantine has been introduced in the area. A total of 350,000 birds have been vaccinated, a spokesman for the administration said.

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The farm owner, who was hospitalised last week with suspected bird flu, has been released as tests showed no trace of the lethal H5N1 virus, the Russian Centre of Emergency Medicine said. Local officials have so far introduced a hunting ban on ducks, geese and other waterfowl, although samples taken from more than 150 wild birds have proved negative.

Meanwhile, reports from Perm, in the Urals, said a total of 37,500 birds have died, and tests are being carried out for the virus.

No human fatalities or cases of humans infected with bird flu have been reported in Russia, where the first outbreaks were registered in southern areas of the country and Siberia in 2005. According to the World Health Organization, avian influenza has so far killed 239 people worldwide.

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