OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus imposed a ban on poultry imports from Germany on March 14. The temporary ban followed a report by the World Organization for Animal Health about registered cases of low pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 Lower Saxony, the Agriculture Ministry of Belarus said in a report.

The temporary restrictions shall apply to the import of live birds, wild, zoo, and circus animals, incubator eggs, down and feather, poultry meat and all kinds of poultry-breeding products, hunter's trophies (wildfowl), forage and forage additives made of poultry, second-hand equipment used for keeping and slaughtering poultry from the abovementioned region.

The H5N1 variety of avian flu is a contagious disease. It is dangerous for humans who have no immunity against the virus. Human mortality from this virus stands at 60%. Since 2003, of 648 humans infected with the virus in 15 countries 384 people have died.