Avian Influenza Situation in Turkey - No Human Cases

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000020

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/RUS, OES/STC, EB/TPP/ATP, EB/TPP/BTA
HHS FOR WSTEIGER/PBUDASHEWITZ
USAID FOR BLANCHET, TROSTLE AND CARROLL
FAS FOR ITP/MACKE/THOMAS, CMP/DLP/WETZEL
FAS PASS FSIS AND APHIS
VIENNA PASS APHIS
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
GENEVA PASS HEALTH ATTACHE

E.O.12958:N/A
TAGS: ETRD EAGR KPAO TBIO AMED TU CASC EAID SENV ECON
SUBJECT: Avian Influenza Situation in Turkey - No Human Cases

Refs: (A) Ankara 5119 (B) Ankara 6105 (C) Ankara 6138

(D) Ankara 6232 (E) Ankara 6291 (F) Ankara 6430
(G) Ankara 6514 (H) Ankara 6605 (G) Ankara 7034
(J) Ankara 7318 (K) Ankara 7606


1. Summary. On December 31, 2005, and January 1,
2006, a total of seven people, five of which were
children, from the Eastern part of Turkey were
hospitalized with bird flu-like symptoms. One child died
late in the evening of January 1, 2006. On January 2,
test results showed that the child did not die from bird
flu or any influenza virus. In addition, bird flu was
ruled out as the cause of the illness of the rest of the
patients admitted with bird flu-like symptoms.
Therefore, there are no cases of humans with Avian
Influenza in Turkey. The Ministries of Health and
Agriculture are working together and are taking all
necessary steps on this issue. End summary.

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No Human Bird Flu Case in Turkey
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2. A total of seven people from the Eastern part of
Turkey were hospitalized with bird flu-like symptoms over
the New Year's weekend. All of them were from the town
of Dogubeyazit in Agri. Six of them were taken to a
hospital in Van and the other one to a hospital in
Erzurum. The patients who were hospitalized in Van said
that they had killed and eaten one of their sick
chickens. A 14-year old boy, one of the children in the
Van hospital, died late in the evening on January 1,

2006. Results from various tests conducted by the
hospital and by the Ministry of Health showed that he did
not die of avian influenza (AI) or any other influenza
virus. Tests also indicated that all of the other
patients admitted with similar symptoms did not have AI.
It was determined that he and the other patients in the
hospital in Van suffered from pneumonia. The patient in
Erzurum, it was discovered, has hepatitis.


3. In a meeting on January 2, Health Ministry Deputy
Director General Fehmi Aydinli stated that there were no
human cases of AI in Turkey. He reported that tests were
conclusive that the boy who died in the Van hospital did
not/not die of AI (rapid, Eliza, and PCR tests were
performed at the Refik Saydam Hifzisihha Laboratory in
Ankara). Aydinli said that the Ministry is awaiting
other culture test results to determine the cause of
death (and the cause of hospitalization in Van of the
boy's three siblings).


4. Health Ministry reps sent multiple teams to
Eastern Turkey to coordinate with MAGR officials and to
work on public education (do not eat sick poultry). The
Health Ministry worked closely with the Hospital in Van
to expedite testing and made regular press statements to
provide timely and important information.

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Government Response to Suspicious cases in the East
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5. Samples from the AI (H5) infected poultry in the
city of Aralik, in the province of Igdir were not sent to
the laboratory in London as was previously reported due
to the holidays and to ensure safe handling of the
samples. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to send the
samples for further testing of the N subtype this week.
Results are expected within a week. The GOT imposed a
strict 10 km. quarantine zone around the city of Aralik,
in Igdir. About 700 birds were killed in the first 3
kilometers and entry and exit of poultry and trucks is
forbidden. The next 7 kilometers are under surveillance.


6. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, poultry
also died in Horasan, in the province of Erzurum, and are
being tested for AI.
The Ministry of Agriculture took samples from sick and
dead poultry from Erzurum and Agri and sent them to the
laboratory in Izmir for AI testing. Lab results are
pending.


7. Surveillance and precautionary animal and human
quarantine measures are also on-going in Erzurum and in a
3 km. radius around Dogubeyazit in Agri. The provincial
directorates are actively monitoring the situation.

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Comments
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8. Turkey had two widely spaced (chronologically and
geographically) AI outbreaks, allowing it to
systematically increase its readiness and test its action
plans and coordination. The importance of being able to
implement quick and accurate communication to the public
and farmers has been made clear, and the GOT has so far
done a reasonable job. Turkey's two main migratory bird
fly-ways (in the west and east) have now each generated
an AI outbreak. Turkey's resources and inter-agency
coordination would be tested in the event of multiple
outbreaks, so it still needs international coordination
and assistance to gin up its preparedness for the return
of migrating birds in the spring.


9. The Turkish Poultry Association (BESD-BIR) and other
industry contacts stated that many birds in the country
typically die during this season due to the harsh weather
conditions. Moreover, they pointed out that poor people
in rural areas, such as the ones in the Eastern part of
Turkey who have poultry in their backyards, might be
claiming that their birds have AI just to get
compensation from the government. Since they are
uneducated, they do not realize that the GOT is only
compensating farmers whose animals were killed by the
government for precautionary purposes, not farmers whose
animals died on their own. They also noted that other
villagers initially hesitated to claim their animals to
the government but, through quick dissemination of
accurate information, the GOT was able to convince them
to hand over all of their poultry.

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Embassy Action
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10. The Embassy Avian Influenza Working group
convened recently and will meet again on Wednesday,
January 4, 2006, to discuss next steps. At this time, it
seems that the GOT has the current situation under
control and is increasing its surveillance to detect
future suspicious bird deaths in the region.
WILSON