January 24, 2006

Northern Cyprus culls fowls on bird flu suspicion

Authorities in Northern Cyprus Monday culled some 700 fowls in a village on suspicion of bird flu after a chicken and a turkey died in the same coop, officials said.

Samples from the dead fowl were sent to laboratories in Turkey and the UK, said Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit, according to the Turkish Cypriot news agency, TAK. Results were expected within three days.

Authorities have destroyed all birds--numbering around 700--in the village of Incirli near the town of Famagusta, the agency said.

In nearby Turkey, a total of 21 people have tested positive for the deadly bird flu strain H5N1. Four of them have died. Turkey has imposed quarantines and culled over 1.1 million fowl to avoid contact with sick birds and bring the outbreak under control.