KurdistanObserver.com

First Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed in Kurdistan-Iraq

Erbil, Kurdistan (Iraq)  28 Oct. (AKI) - Veterinary authorities in Erbil have confirmed the first case of avian flu in Iraqi Kurdistan, near the border with Turkey.

The head of the Erbil veterinary laboratory, Ilham Butros, told journalists that preliminary positive analysis done locally on suspect birds had been confirmed by a dedicated bird-flu testing lab in Egypt. Iraq on Thursday announced a ban on poultry imports from 20 countries, amid fears that the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, found in neighbouring Turkey, might endanger the country.

Regarding the suspect bird deaths, Butros said. "When we received news of deaths of chickens in a poultry farm near Khabat [30 kilometres west of Erbil] a team of experts visited the property to collect samples, and the preliminary analyses gave a positive result to the [bird flu] virus.

"Given the lack of specific labs for bird flu diagnosis in the region we sent the samples to Cairo for further testing which confirmed definitively the initial results" she added.

The local Kurdish language paper, Aso, on Thursday broke the story of the discovery of the virus in the region.

"Our personnel, along with American hygiene squads, are making every effort to inspect poultry farms in the region" Butros added, "to check out many reported deaths establish the cause and draw up health plans to deal with possible future cases."

Erbil is the first Iraqi city in which the virus has been detected. It lies close to the border with Turkey, which on October 8 reported its first case of avian flu.

On Thursday, the Baghdad government announced the "banning of poultry imports, live or slaughtered," from some 20 countries.

These include Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Russia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Greece, Ukraine, Romania and Croatia.

The H5N1 strain of avian flu has killed more than 60 people in four countries in Asia and has been detected among birds in Croatia, Romania, Turkey and Russia. No human cases have been reported in Europe, though there is growing concern that the virus may merge with a human influenza virus and be transmitted between humans.

Middle Eastern nations are especially worried as many of them lie on wild bird migration routes.