Bird flu identified in Northern Cyprus
Güncelleme Tarihi:
As day to day talk in Turkey about the deadly bird flu virus starts to settle down, two birds found dead 2 weeks in a village in Northern Cyprus (KKTC) near the border with Greek-run Southern Cyprus have been shown to have been carrying the bird flu. While Northern Cypriot officials have sprung into action, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer has complained about lack of cooperation from their Greek counterparts, saying "We are taking every kind of precaution.
The Greek Cypriots have done nothing in reaction to the fact that these birds came out of Ahna Lake, which is on their side of the island. Wild birds do not carry Turkish or Greek flags around their necks. I again call for cooperation on this matter."
Dead birds thought to have flown in from Southern Cyprus' Ahna Lake
The birds in question, one chicken and one turkey, were found by villagers in Northern Cyprus, who immediately alerted authorities. The village and its immediate surroundings were put under quarantine, and all the caged poultry was slaughtered. The dead bodies of the birds were sent to laboratories in England, which confirmed the presence of the virus. Careful checks have revealed that no humans seem to have caught the virus however. The Northern Cypriot authorities are insistent that the dead birds emigrated over Northern Cypriot borders from the Southern Cypriot Ahna Lake, where they had been nesting.