Turkey bird flu spreads further

A bird cull in the east is making slow progress

Turkey has confirmed a new human case of bird flu in central Sivas province, the latest to be affected by the virus which has so far infected 15 people.

Two have died - the first deaths from bird flu outside South East Asia.

TV broadcasts, a telephone hotline and leaflets are being used in Turkey to improve awareness of the disease and practices to stop it spreading further.

The potentially lethal H5N1 strain has been found in birds in 19 of the 81 provinces, as far west as the Aegean.

Human cases have also been reported in eastern Van province - which also registered the two deaths - and the Black Sea provinces of Kastamonu, Corum and Samsun.

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Health experts say almost all these involved children who had documented contact with dead or diseased poultry, and there is no sign the virus is passing from human to human.

Dozens of other people are being tested for possible infection.

UN co-ordinator for bird flu Dr David Nabarro called the cases in eastern Turkey a "pretty major outbreak" of bird flu.

"What we are seeing at the moment is the spread of the bird flu virus, caused by viral type H5N1, across from Asia into Europe," he told the BBC.

"We think it will probably go on moving, because it's been carried from country to country by a mix of methods, including migrating wild birds."

In other developments in the region:

• European Union bans untreated bird feather imports from six countries close to Turkey
• Russia's government is ordered to plan special measures to protect it from the spread of lethal bird flu
• Armenia is to boost border monitoring measures to try to keep bird flu out
• Georgia bans import of poultry, meat and eggs from Turkey and other countries in the region.

'Necessary measures'

The two siblings confirmed to have died of bird flu were from the eastern town of Dogubeyazit, in Van province.

CONFIRMED TURKISH H5N1 CASES Van: 7, including 2 deaths. A third death treated as "probable case" Ankara: 3 Kastamonu: 2 Corum: 1 Samsun: 1 Sivas: 1 Q&A: Your concerns Anguish in rural Turkey

Tests are still being carried out on their 11-year-old sister, who also died, to see if she was also infected with H5N1.

Their brother, the sole surviving sibling of the family, was released from hospital on Monday. Tests indicated six-year-old Ali Hasan Kocyigit did not have the virus.

More than 100,000 birds in eastern Turkey have been culled, but some locals have refused to hand over their poultry.

The scale of the problem has also presented difficulties. On Monday, health teams had yet to reach nearly 100 villages in the area.

Turkish health ministry deputy director Fehmi Aydin says a public awareness campaign is under way across the country.

People are being told to eat only healthy chickens, and to make sure the meat is properly cooked through.

Turkey has urged its citizens to stop raising poultry in their backyards, and the government is said to be considering a ban.