Deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in domestic fowl in the southern Russian region of Stavropol, Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

Tests have confirmed the presence of the virus in dead domestic fowl in the city of Kislovodsk and the Izobilnoye district of the Stavropol territory, chief regional veterinarian inspector Viktor Parakhin said.

"The deaths are not numerous, yet we are assessing the situation in order to prevent the spread of the infection," he said.

Bird flu was found earlier on a poultry farm in another southern region, Dagestan.

Russia battled the virus for several months in some Siberian and western regions during an outbreak in July 2005 but declared itself free of bird flu at the end of the year. No humans were infected with the virus.

In its most highly pathogenic form, the H5N1 virus has devastated poultry populations worldwide and killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003.

Source: Xinhua