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Bird Flu Not Cause of Turkish Boy's Death - Health Official

Posted on: Monday, 2 January 2006, 06:00 CST

Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia

Ankara, 2 January: The Turkish Health Ministry said on Sunday [1 January] that no case of bird flu has been detected in Turkey.

Releasing a statement, the Health Ministry said a series of measures had been taken in addition to the measures taken by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs following the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry's statement on 27 December 2005 that "avian influenza" was seen in poultry in Aralik town in eastern city of Igdir.

The statement said nine people who contacted the poultry in Aralik town were medicated as precaution.

"Meanwhile, a team of Health Ministry experts learned that four children from the same family were taken to Yuzuncu Yil University Hospital on 31 December 2005 with the symptoms of viral pneumonia.

Upon the information that those children got sick after eating a diseased chicken which was slaughtered, the team took blood samples and sent them to Ankara for laboratory tests," noted the Health Ministry.

[At 0832 gmt on 2 January, Anatolia carries a report on a statement by Turan Buzgan, Health Ministry Basic Health Services director-general, in which he says: "Tests on four persons for possible bird flu in eastern city of Van were proved negative. The disease does not stem from bird flu or any other influenza virus."]

Source: BBC Monitoring Newsfile

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