Top > World > 2006 > January > 2006-01-11

New Bird Flu Cases in Turkey

Five new human cases of bird flu have been confirmed in Turkey, leaving at least two Turkish children dead. Health experts say there is still no sign, however, of the virus is passing from human to human. In additional news, there are reportedly up to 77 people in Japan who have been infected somehow with bird flu, though this report had yet to be confirmed by press time.

The outbreaks in Turkey are linked to the close interaction between humans and animals, which must be minimized, says Guenael Rodier. "The front line between children and animals, particularly backyard poultry, is too large." Rodier, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official for communicable diseases, says that every confirmed case increases the chance that the virus might mutate into a dangerous form transmitted from person to person.

Children in Turkey who recently died from bird flu reportedly were playing with chicken heads. This unfortunate set of circumstances has caused many countries surrounding or bordering Turkey to discourage their citizens from visiting the country until the determination of whether bird flu has mutated in sufficient numbers to jump from human to human. Again, there is little evidence for the moment that human-to-human transmission, of the H5N1 strain of avian flu, are taking place with any sort of regularity.