October 10, 2005

 

Turkey, Romania hit by bird flu

Turkey's government has reported the country's first cases of bird flu and had ordered for all birds within the affected village to be culled.

 

About 2,000 poultry were destroyed on the infected farm in Balikesir province. Local authorities also imposed a three-kilometre quarantine zone around the centre of the outbreak, and planned to cull an additional 2,500 turkeys as well as pigeons and even stray dogs as a precaution.

 

Officials said the birds died of the H5 type of bird flu, but have not yet confirmed whether it was the deadly H5N1 strain. 

 

The government suspected that the disease was likely borne by migratory birds flying from Russia's Ural Mountains, across Turkey and into Africa.

 

Meanwhile, bird flu has also hit Romania's south-eastern Tulcea region, where three ducks were reportedly infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain following preliminary tests. 

 

However, a British laboratory would make a final confirmation soon of the H5N1 strain's presence in Europe for the first time.

 

Romania's government said that so far, no human cases have been reported in the country. However, about 3,400 people living in the Danube delta region have been vaccinated for flu, although the country did not have a specific vaccine for bird flu.

 

The government also ordered a ban on the sale of live birds at all public markets in the country. Meanwhile, local authorities destroyed about 500 chickens suspected with the disease and quarantined the Tulcea region.

 

Authorities also suspected migratory birds from Russia were responsible for spreading the virus.

 

Meanwhile, neighbouring Bulgaria said it was stepping up controls against bird flu.