January 18, 2006 - 15:25 AMT
WHO Says Bird Flu in Turkey Threat for Whole Region
The World Health Organization (WHO) view bird flu in Turkey as a threat for the whole region, Dr Margaret Chan, Representative of the Director General stated January 17. She said the Organization considers the bird flu in Turkey to be the problem not only for one country but also for the region in whole and the transportation of people and domestic animals raise the risk of the disease.

According to Dr Chan, telephone conferences for exchanging information on the epidemiological situation in Syria, Iraq, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are held every day. In her words, WHO experts monitor the situation in these countries. When commenting on the situation in Turkey, she said that 4 people died of the avian influenza and 20 people were diagnosed with the disease. 30 more people are suspected to have it. "We think there are good chances to eliminate the epidemic in Turkey though we do not rule out outburst in the near future," she said, reported Caucasus Press.