Iraqi authorities have declared a bird flu alert in the Maysan province and called for security forces to prevent people carrying birds in and out of the southern region.

Health authorities went on high alert today following Iraq’s first reported case of the deadly bird flu virus, culling hundreds of thousands of birds and warning farmers across the country to inspect their flocks.

Health authorities went on high alert today following Iraq’s first reported case of the deadly bird flu virus, warning farmers across the country to inspect their domestic and commercial birds.