Da The Daily Star del 14/10/2005
Originale su http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&a...

Turks rush for vaccinations amid bird flu scare

Government assures virus is contained

People rushed for flu vaccinations in Turkey after tests showed the presence of a lethal strain of bird flu that has killed more than 60 people in Asia and is feared to be the precursor of a pandemic. The government gave assurances the virus was contained in a quarantine zone around a fowl farm in the northwestern province of Balikesir, where the outbreak was reported last week, and did not currently constitute a threat to humans.

"The well-prepared and timely intervention of the Agriculture Ministry has brought the bird flu case ... under control," Health Minister Recep Akdag said .

"Naturally, our country has to be cautious, careful and ready [for a possible pandemic], but there is nothing beyond that at the moment," he said.

He was speaking shortly after EU Health and Consumer Protection chief Markos Kyprianou said the strain of bird flu found in Turkey had been identified as the same H5N1 virus that has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.

Experts fear H5N1 could mutate into a virus which spreads easily among humans, possibly killing millions of people.

Turan Buzgan, head of the ministry's health services section, told a televised news the disease could not spread from person to person at present and said there was no need for people other than high-risk groups such as poultry farm workers to seek special flu injections.

He urged Turks not to rush to pharmacies to stock up with medicines for fear of contracting the disease, adding Turkey had sufficient quantities of medicine to match the seriousness of the situation.

Among these measures, he cited the stockpiling of anti-viral medicines, special training of officials, public information and close monitoring of wetlands favored by migratory birds.

Experts say last week's outbreak was caused by birds migrating south from Russia for the northern hemisphere winter.

Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said the authorities were examining all areas across the country which carried the risk of contamination.

"Constant controls are being made, particularly in areas where migratory birds stop," he said. "Thankfully, there has been no negative development so far."

Noting Turkey was the 25th country to report an outbreak of avian flu, Eder said all countries had to cooperate closely in combating the disease.

Avian flu is transmitted to humans only if they eat or live in close contact with infected birds.

Turkey has reported no further outbreaks of the disease since clamping a three-kilometer quarantine zone around the infected farm in northwestern Turkey. It has culled more than 7,000 birds.

In Iran, veterinary authorities have reported a large number of deaths among wild ducks, but the cause of the death is yet unknown, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said.

The OIE, the paramount authority for veterinary health, said on its Web site that 3,673 wild ducks had died at Poldasht, in West Azerbaijan Province.

The phenomenon began on October 2, according to the information received from the Iran Veterinary Organization, a branch of the agriculture ministry.

Sullo stesso argomento

Articoli in archivio

La febbre aviaria assedia l'Europa duemila tacchini morti in Turchia
Storace: subito un vertice Ue. Bucarest chiede aiuto all'Oms
di Marco Ansaldo su La Repubblica del 09/10/2005
Il boom delle mine
Nel 2005, 7.328 persone sono state mutilate e uccise dalle mine: l'11% in più dell'anno prima
di Enrico Piovesana su Peace Reporter del 02/10/2006

News in archivio

Gli ordigni sono state lanciati in un locale del centro. Il capo della polizia: "L'attacco non è di natura politica"
Turchia: attentato a Smirne, granate contro un bar
su La Repubblica del 02/10/2006
Dopo la morte di una famiglia a Sumatra preoccupazioni nella comunità scientifica "Le analisi dimostrano che l'H5N1 non si è comportato in modo diverso da prima"
Aviaria: per l'Oms il virus è mutato ma l'infezione uomo-uomo è difficile
su La Repubblica del 23/06/2006
 
Cos'� ArchivioStampa?
Una finestra sul mondo della cultura, della politica, dell'economia e della scienza. Ogni giorno, una selezione di articoli comparsi sulla stampa italiana e internazionale. [Leggi]
Rassegna personale
Attualmente non hai selezionato directory degli articoli da incrociare.
Sponsor
Contenuti
Notizie dal mondo
Notizie dal mondo
Community
• Forum
Elenco degli utenti

Sono nuovo... registratemi!
Ho dimenticato la password
• Sono già registrato:
User ID

Password
Network
Newsletter

iscriviti cancella
Suggerisci questo sito

Attenzione
I documenti raccolti in questo sito non rappresentano il parere degli autori che si sono limitatati a raccoglierli come strumento di studio e analisi.
Comune di Roma

Questo progetto imprenditoriale ha ottenuto il sostegno del Comune di Roma nell'ambito delle azioni di sviluppo e recupero delle periferie

by Mondo a Colori Media Network s.r.l. 2006-2024
Valid XHTML 1.0, CSS 2.0