January 17, 2006

FAO warns Turkey's neighbours against bird flu spread

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned Monday that the bird flu that has hit Turkey might have already arrived in neighbouring countries but said it had no confirmation of such a spread.

It urged Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria to step up surveillance.

Samuel Jutzi, director of the agency's animal production and health division, said there is no reason to believe that the virus "has not already passed the borders of eastern Turkey".

Jutzi stressed the agency had no specific information that the disease had spread.

Turkey has slaughtered 764,000 fowl nationwide in its fight to contain the bird flu outbreak, the government's bird flu crisis centre said Monday.