UN: No Risks of Pandemic in Turkey

The state of panic caused by the European Union (EU) Council’s announcement that a lethal bird flu virus was detected in Turkey did not reflect the truth entirely.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) issued a statement that since Turkey and Romania prepared a package of measures against the bird flu in advance, the likelihood of a serious epidemic such as the one that hit Asia in previous years is low. Dr. Samuel Jutzi, director of FAO Animal Production and Health, issued the statement to The New York Times. They will maintain that this is an animal disease and it poses a threat on animal health, said Jutzi. The FAO aims to prevent the disease from posing a real risk to human health.

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See also:

• Implications of the spread of H5N1 bird flu (The New Anatolian)
• Poultry sales plummet in Turkey despite low prices and assurances (Turkish Weekly)
• Official says 1,000 chickens die in eastern Turkey (Reuters)
• Bird flu incubation over in Turkey, officials say (Reuters)