Kazakhstan\'s Agriculture Ministry has banned the sale of live poultry and eggs in all regions of the country where bird flu has been discovered. Bird flu has been reported in at least four provinces, with the H5N1 strain, which has been responsible for human infections in other countries, confirmed in Pavlodar Province. Asylbek Kazhmuratov, head of the Agriculture Ministry\'s veterinary department, told a news conference in Astana on 12 August that further outbreaks of bird flu cannot be ruled out \"because the wild birds that spread the infection can settle anywhere.\" He noted that more than 5,000 birds have been culled in infected areas. The Agriculture Ministry also stated in a 12 August press release that authorities in affected areas have in some cases failed to implement effective measures to deal with outbreaks.(ITAR-TASS)