Kiziksa craze

---

ON MONDAY, European Union experts visited a small village in northwestern Turkey where a lethal strain of bird flu was identified earlier this month. The EU team held talks with local officials on the situation in the area and visited the nearby nature reserve of Manyas, a favourite of migratory birds which are believed to have introduced the deadly H5NI virus to Turkey. The Turkish government says the virus, which scientists fear may spark a global epidemic, has been contained in Kiziksa where veterinary officials have slaughtered more than 9,000 birds. A strict quarantine was imposed on the village on 8 October and would stay in place until the end of the month.

Despite Turkish government efforts to calm the public, poultry sales in Turkey have dropped dramatically and increasing numbers of Turks have rushed to pharmacies to get hold of Tamiflu, an anti-viral drug believed to be efective against bird flu. Romania, too, announced on Monday that it had killed all poultry in the country known to have been infected by bird flu. All poultry at the site of Romania's second outbreak of the potentially deadly strain of bird flu have been slaughtered. (photo: AP)