This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

031422Z Jan 06

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. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Government Response to Suspicious cases in the East 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶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 
---------------------------- 
¶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