Our Affiliates
 
 
RFE/RL Radio
 
 
 

'Reporting Among Gangsters' - Op-Ed in 'The Washington Post'

RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin examines threats to independent media in Central Asia. More
 
 
More Articles
 
 
 
 

By Country / Armenia

Turkey Says Neighbors Hiding Presence Of Bird Flu

January 20, 2006

Turkish officials in Istanbul round up poultry for destruction (file photo) (epa)

Turkish officials in Istanbul round up poultry for destruction (file photo) (epa)

20 January 2006 -- Turkey's agriculture minister has accused neighboring countries of covering up the presence of bird flu on their territories.


Speaking on 20 January, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said that "it is unofficially known that this disease bird flu exists in countries that neighbor us that are ruled by closed regimes, but these countries are not announcing this because of [the nature of] their systems."


Eker did not name specific countries.


Turkey's neighbors include Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, and Syria. Syria quickly denied Eker's remarks.


The World Health Organization said on 19 January that the bird-flu situation in Turkey is improving.


Bird flu has killed four children in Turkey since December. Ankara has registered 21 other cases of bird-flu infections in humans.    


(AFP, AP, dpa)
 
 
TEXT SIZE
Affected Areas


Click on the map for a closer view of the areas within RFE/RL's broadcast region where cases of diseased fowl have been confirmed. Last updated on February 20.

BIRD FLU, or avian influenza, continues to menace scattered areas from East Asia, where the disease first appeared, to Southeastern and Eastern Europe and beyond. Authorities around the world are bracing themselves -- and, more importantly, planning and taking measures to fight the disease wherever it appears.

Stories Of Particular Interest:

Bird-Flu Expert Discusses Issue Of Migratory Birds

Bird Flu: As European Worries Grow, Some See Benefits In Alarm

WHO Laboratory In London Is At Center Of Drama

Related Articles