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 MOSCOW (AP) - Russian authorities detected a deadly strain of bird flu south of Moscow on Wednesday and China reported a fresh outbreak in its northern grasslands — signs the deadly virus was spreading across Siberia to the Mediterranean along the pathways of migratory birds.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned of a marked increase in chances that bird flu would move to the Middle East and Africa — and hit countries poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak. The European Union announced plans for an exercise simulating a human flu pandemic to improve readiness in case the bird virus mutates to form a strain transmissible among people.
In Asia, crucible of the virus, China's official Xinhua news agency said 2,600 birds in the northern grasslands had died of the disease. It did not give details on when the birds were found, and sought to reassure the public that the outbreak was contained.
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