Turkish man tests negative for bird flu

The man, who hails from the central province of Konya, was hospitalised last week after coming into contact with wild ducks and falling sick. A representative of the health ministry said, “Samples taken from the patient came out negative. There was no trace of the bird flu virus.” So far, there have been no reports of suspicious poultry deaths in Konya that could point to an outbreak of bird flu.

The agriculture ministry stated that bird flu had been detected in poultry in four new locations: the hamlet of Bolukcayir as well as the villages of Kocalar and Akbaba in Diyarbakir province, and in a neighbourhood in the city of Batman in the province bearing the same name. Analyses are underway to determine the strain.