Iran is highly alert to bird flu

Iran has destroyed more than 30,000 scattered birds in villages near the border with Turkey and is listening to developments from neighboring countries.

"Stress is escalating in Turkey. We cannot waste time, epidemics are a serious threat to Iran," said Kamyar Dahim, senior veterinary official for Iran. Iran and Turkey share 500 km of borders.

Turkish veterinarian disinfects the square in Izmir, where many pigeons are gathered.(Photo: Reuters / VNE)

Meanwhile, in Turkey, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 4 people and infected 17 others. The epidemic spreads over 1/3 of the provinces and cities in the territory since the end of last month. However, efforts to control the epidemic began to bring positive signs. Two young patients, 5 and 12 years old, have just been discharged from the hospital over the weekend. These are two fortunate cases that their parents discovered early and were admitted to the hospital as soon as they saw their babies playing with their uncle's gloves handling ducks who died of the flu.

In Indonesia, the number of deaths increased to 14. The new victims were four and 13-year-old brothers in West Java who died last week. The World Health Organization today confirmed the main culprit was H5N1 and the cause of infection was contact with dead chickens. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old sister and the father of the victims are on the list of suspected infections.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old French woman was hospitalized in Marseille for suspected bird flu after returning from southern Turkey . However, the test result is negative.

Hong Kong has launched a mass disinfection campaign of poultry markets, ranches and sensitive areas after the discovery of a dead bird infected with H5N1 virus in the village of Tai Po. This territory also prevent disease from recurring when the Lunar New Year is approaching with a sudden increase in poultry demand.

My Linh (according to AFP)