Russia reports severe bird flu outbreak - OIE

PARIS (Reuters) - Russia has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu virus on a farm in the Kostromskaya region in the west of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said, citing a report from Russia's Agriculture Ministry.

The virus killed 506 out of a flock of almost 500,000 birds on a farm in Harino, the OIE said in a note published on Friday. Another 1,223 birds were slaughtered.

The type of bird affected was not specified.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Kevin Liffey)