Turkish authorities say they have identified three cases of human bird flu infection in Ankara, the capital. Two other cases have been found near the border with Iran. Samples have been sent to a lab in the United Kingdom for confirmation.
If the Ankara cases are confirmed, it means human infection has travelled 500 miles in less than a week within the country (from Van, Eastern Turkey).
The UK lab has confirmed 4 human cases of bird flu infection in Turkey so far. Turkish tests have confirmed 9. (The confirmations that count are the UK lab ones).
On a hopeful note, WHO says it seems that all the patients got infected from birds – meaning the infection has not yet learnt how to spread easily from human-to-human.
Over the last couple of weeks temperatures have dropped dramatically in Eastern Turkey. Many people who own chickens have brought them into their homes. This very close proximity to poultry may be the reason clusters of human infections have been popping up – rather than the possibility that the virus has learnt how to jump from bird to humans more easily. In south east Asia, winters are nowhere near as severe as in the affected parts of Turkey i.e. it may be the case that Turkish poultry owners have had closer, more continuous contact with their birds than in other affected parts of the world.
Authorities and agencies are trying to come to grips with clusters of suspected cases that seem to be popping up in the country. Several people are in hospital in Turkey with bird flu like symptoms.
Written by:Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today