Health is more important than hunting

The H5N1 virus has disrupted the plans of bird shooting enthusiasts

Bird flu could deprive tens of thousands of Russians of one of their favorite hobbies - due to the threat of mutation of the H5N1 virus, spring bird hunting is under threat. Regional bodies of Rosselkhoznadzor are now painfully torn between the demands of suffering shooters and the need to take protective measures. Despite the fact that officials responsible for making such decisions themselves, as a rule, share a passion for hunting, their choice is more often inclined towards the second option. Thus, yesterday the “hunting quarantine” unwittingly protected woodcocks, geese and ducks living in the Saratov region. According to a representative of the territorial department of Rosselkhoznadzor, “during the hunting period, there is a possibility that a hunter will come into contact with a wild bird infected with the virus, and it is almost impossible to monitor the hunters’ compliance with veterinary recommendations and to prevent the entry of infected game into households.” Over the past two weeks, many other regions have come to a similar decision: a ban on spring hunting is a mandatory item in the “action plans to prevent the introduction and spread of avian influenza” adopted by local authorities. In particular, hunting is prohibited in the Kursk, Novosibirsk, Kurgan, Kemerovo, Nizhny Novgorod regions and, naturally, in those regions where the “second coming” of the dangerous virus has been recorded: in the Astrakhan region, Stavropol Territory, Dagestan, Kalmykia.

But in the Ivanovo region they have not yet decided. According to the head of the local veterinary department, Vitaly Romensky, there is still no clear point of view on what to do with hunting during a dangerous period - to allow or prohibit. In his opinion, amateur hunting should be banned and special teams should be organized to shoot wild birds. This question also remains open in the Vologda region. According to the head of the regional hunting department, Andrei Filatov, whether spring shooting of migratory birds will be allowed or not will become clear only after experts analyze the situation with bird flu in other regions.

However, judging by the rapid spread of the virus in the south of the country, it can be assumed that the number of regions where birds infected with influenza have been found will only increase, and therefore the area of ​​“hunting quarantine” will expand. Today, the Ministry of Emergency Situations monitors the poultry population in Dagestan, Kalmykia, Adygea, Stavropol Territory and Astrakhan Region. In Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria, isolated cases of death of wild swans diagnosed with H5N1 avian influenza have so far been registered.

The “Southern outbreak” has already been called the “third wave of the disease” by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The first was observed from July 21 to September 30, 2005 in six subjects of the Volga, Ural and Siberian Federal Districts. The second - from October 14, 2005 to January 18, 2006 in six subjects of the Central, Southern, Volga, Ural and Siberian Federal Districts. The “Southern Outbreak” was analyzed yesterday at a meeting in Rostov-on-Don, which was chaired by the presidential envoy in the district Dmitry Kozak and the head of Rospotrebnadzor Gennady Onishchenko. Mr. Onishchenko assessed the damage caused to the economy of the Southern Federal District as “very serious.” Especially in Dagestan, where out of 2.5 million heads of industrial poultry, approximately 700-900 thousand died. At the same time, he opposed the ban on the import of poultry meat from the regions, which the authorities of the Astrakhan region resorted to in relation to Dagestan chicken. “There is no need for this. This is the unlawful severity shown by the veterinary services,” he believes.

The Chief Sanitary Doctor believes that the sanitary services and the executive branch are now faced with a much more important task - to “stop this situation.” Since representatives of the regions have already complained that preventive work is being hampered by the lack of a vaccine, Mr. Onishchenko promised to give the Southern Federal District “everything that is being worked on today at the enterprises of the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the vaccine.” According to him, this is about 6-7 million doses per week. “All the first shipments will go here to you, and then to Siberia,” he assured.

Gennady Onishchenko once again confirmed that the virus, which is mowing down entire factories of chickens in the south, is still absolutely not dangerous to humans. “There are no bird flu cases among the population in southern Russia,” he assured. “We are monitoring people; all persons with an unusual course of acute respiratory disease are examined by us for possible isolation of the avian virus. Such studies are carried out in all regions of southern Russia. Fortunately, there is no confirmation,” Mr. Onishchenko said. He believes that “this suggests that people here do not get sick with this virus.”

Irina BELASHEVA