News from Turkey

Twenty-one human cases of avian flu have been reported in Turkey and four people have died from the disease. Whereas in other bird flu cases in Eastern Asia outbreaks had been detected in poultry well before human cases, the cases in Turkey had shown almost no prior warning of infection in poultry. In Turkey, children were found ill from the virus at about the same time as the outbreak was confirmed in birds in the area.

In response to these new developments, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an improved system of bird surveillance to ensure early detection of the deadly avian flu virus. The H5N1 virus that causes bird flu has killed at least 80 people in six countries since late 2003. Victims contract the virus through close contact with sick birds, but WHO fears it could mutate into a form that can pass easily from person to person, creating a global pandemic that could kill as many as 7.4 million people according to a United Nations agency.

Mutations have already been found in the bird flu virus sample taken from a patient in Turkey. The mutations were detected by scientists at a London lab and may “signify the virus is trying different things to see if it can more easily infect humans,” WHO’s spokeswoman Maria Cheng said in Geneva. “So far, we haven’t seen that the virus has the ability to do this. But it’s important that we continue monitoring.” One of the mutations suggest that the virus is becoming more incline to bind to human cells but there is still no evidence that it is becoming more infectious.

It seems help is on the way. In a conference held in Beijing on January 18th, 33 countries and international institutions pledged $1.9 billion to fight the disease. The money will help pay for more research, improving surveillance to prevent outbreaks, and obtaining protective equipment. The United States has pledged $334 million in grants with the majority of that money coming from new bird flu-related legislation passed by Congress in December. The European Union has also pledged nearly $250 million.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a Type A influenza virus that has been known to affect birds and now more recently, humans. Direct contact with infected poultry and areas that are contaminated by their feces are considered the main sources of human infection. Slaughter, butchering, and the preparation of poultry for cooking are also said to be the cause of many cases of human exposure. Since December 2003, a highly pathogenic strain has devastated dozens of Asian domestic poultry stocks, and several human infections have been reported. According to the CDC, bird flu is especially harmful to humans because we do not have the immune protection necessary against the virus. The H5N1 virus has killed at least 80 people in six countries since late 2003