Turkish boy critical in bird-flu battle

A five-year-old boy battling the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in Turkey was reported to be in a critical condition today as experts awaited test results on three others admitted to hospital with symptoms at Europe’s doorstep.

Muhammet Ozcan, whose 12-year-old sister, Fatma, died on Sunday of the disease, was listed as critical at a hospital in the eastern city of Van. He was being treated for fever and a lung infection.