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KurdistanObserver.com
Kurds Ban Sale Of live Chickens
ARBIL, (Southern Kurdistan) Jan 11, 2006 (AFP)
- Iraqi Kurdish authorities have banned local trading in live chickens because
of a lethal form of bird flu that has infected 15 people across the border in
Turkey, a senior official said Wednesday.
Already in October, the Iraqi government banned the import of live birds and
poulty from Turkey.
"We had already taken measures, but following the recent cases in Turkey we
have bolstered them, by stopping the sale of live chickens," Kurdistan's
regional agricultural chief, Azad Ezzedin, told AFP.
Hunting has also been banned in the region, and all vehicles crossing from
Turkey must have their tires sprayed with disinfectant, he added.
UN experts warned Wednesday that the flu, which recently killed at least two
people in Turkey, now threatens nearby countries.
The toll from the highly infectious H5N1 strain of bird flu has climbed to 78
people worldwide.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday that the virus
may be spreading even as Turkey slaughters 306,000 birds to halt its advance.
It warned neighbouring Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Iran and Syria to
be on high alert.
Turkey shares a border with Iraqi Kurdistan.
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