Turkey steps up slaughter in bid to contain bird flu

Frightened villagers in Turkey’s south-east, hit by the deadly strain of bird flu, handed over their chickens and other fowl for slaughter today and said they were ready to stop raising birds to minimise the chances of getting infected.

Turkish authorities stepped up the slaughter of chickens, geese and turkeys this week as the number of people infected with the deadly H5N1 strain climbed to 18.

The Agriculture Ministry said yesterday that about 355,000 birds had been destroyed, and it urged Turks in infected areas to hand over their fowl.

The task of destroying fowl in Seslitas, about 15 miles outside the city of Dogubayazit, where three children died of the deadly H5N1 strain, is getting easier as local residents become more aware of the health crisis, workers said.

Nihat Takdil, an Agriculture Ministry official, said a quarantine for animals was being applied in 25 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

Authorities said bird flu has been confirmed in 11 of those provinces and was suspected in 14 others.