Iraq tests for bird flu after death of girl, 14

IRAQ was yesterday investigating if a 14-year-old girl who died of a fever had contracted the human strain of the bird flu virus, while Turkey and China also reported new deaths from the deadly disease.

Health officials said Tijan Abdel-Qader, who died on Tuesday after a two-week illness, lived close to a lake that is a haven for migratory birds flying south from Turkey, where 21 people have been confirmed this month as having the H5N1 virus.

"We are not aware of any other cases in Iraq," said Abdul Jalil Hassan, the health ministry doctor co-ordinating a crisis team set up to monitor the threat from across the borders.