Bird Flu Is Confirmed; Fowl to Be Slaughtered

Ukraine announced its first bird flu outbreak and the president declared a state of emergency in four Crimean villages.

Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Baranivsky announced a 2-mile quarantine around the four villages, and officials prohibited all sales of domestic fowl and poultry products in the Crimea.

All birds in the villages -- even if healthy -- will be slaughtered starting today and their carcasses burned. Residents will be compensated as much as $2 for each bird, Baranivsky said.

He attributed the bird flu to contact between migratory birds and domestic fowl at the Crimea's Lake Savash.