Nine tested for bird flu not infected - Turkey

The incubation period for the bird flu found in Turkey last weekend is now over so the danger to humans from the infected birds…

The incubation period for the bird flu found in Turkey last weekend is now over so the danger to humans from the infected birds has passed, Turkish officials said today.

Avian flu H5N1 in Turkey has been identified as the same virus that killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003 and forced the slaughter of millions of birds.

"The incubation period is over because the disease emerged last week ... if it were to infect anybody, it would have already done that," CNN Turk television quoted the Health Ministry's parasitic diseases director Ramazan Uzun as saying.

Mr Uzun said there was no risk to human and animal health in the Manyas district, which is one of the country's largest migrating bird sanctuaries and where a farm tested positive for avian flu.

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The deputy governor in charge of Manyas said the district would be in quarantine until October 29th and this period of time would not be extended.

Nine people kept under observation at a hospital in western Turkey for possible bird flu have been allowed to go home after tests did not detect an infection.

"The nine people were sent from hospital after their blood tests showed that they were not infected," an official told Reuters.

Blood tests were taken from the two families in the western town of Turgutlu after 40 of their pigeons died in 15 days. Some of the dead birds had also been sent away for testing. The agriculture ministry reported today that the death of wild pigeons in Istanbul was not related to avian flu.

Turkish officials have said the country faces no general public health threat and have appealed for calm.

But the country's top veterinarian Mustafa Altuntas urged caution and said the country would be at risk from migratory birds that will return from Africa in spring.

The European Commission said yesterday it would send medical specialists to Turkey after Ankara requested assistance from the Commission.