Avian influenza (H5N1) in Turkey

An outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain (H5N1) of avian influenza has been laboratory-confirmed in turkeys from a farm in the Manyas region of northwest Turkey, near the city of Balikesir (1). Samples were sent to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Surrey, of which one was confirmed as positive for H5N1 on 13 October 2005 (2). Two thousand turkeys have been culled in order to contain the disease and a three kilometre quarantine area has been placed around the affected farm (3). There has been no evidence to suggest that the disease has spread to any other area in Turkey.

There are no restrictions for those planning to travel to Turkey as the risk to UK travellers is believed to be very low. Those travellers who may go to the affected region are however advised to take the following precautions:

• Avoid contact with live poultry and wild birds
• Avoid visiting live animal markets and poultry farms
• Avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with animal faeces
• Do not eat or handle undercooked or raw poultry, egg or duck dishes
• Exercise good personal hygiene with frequent hand washing
• Do not attempt to bring any live poultry products back to the UK

It is not recommended that travellers take with them the neuraminidase inhibitor, Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®).

Guidelines on the management of travellers returning from avian influenza-infected regions with a febrile illness, are available from the Health Protection Agency at http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&Page&HPA

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Up to date information on incidence of avian influenza in birds is available from the World Organization for Animal Health at http://www.oie.int/eng/en_index.htm and from the Animal Welfare page of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/

disease/ai/index.htm.

References

1. Avian influenza - Eurasia (05). Archive no 20051013.2989. In Promed Mail [online]. Boston US: International Society for Infectious Diseases, 13 October 2005 [cited 13 October 2005]. Available at http://www.Promedmail.org.

2. Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). UK supports European Union effort to track high pathogenic avian influenza virus: news release [online]. 13 October 2005 [cited 13 October 2005]. Available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/051013b.htm.

3. TV New Zealand. Bird flu strikes Turkey [online] [cited 13 October 2005] Available at http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/617903.