Another Turkish child infected with H5N1

Preliminary tests indicate that another Turkish child is infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, health officials said today, raising the total number of human cases in the country to 21.

The health ministry said the child was admitted to hospital in the eastern city of Erzurum.

Four other children have died of the disease over the past 10 days in Turkey, all victims of H5N1.

The child’s age and gender were not immediately known.