Saturday, February 26, 2011

Iraq Health ministry registers 142 cases of bird flu?



Saturday, 26 February 2011, 09:10 GMT


"The disease can be eliminated by providing basic medication,"

An official in the Iraqi ministry of Health?s Epidemic Disease Commission announced yesterday that 142 cases of Avian Flu (H5N1) have been recorded in the country so far this winter.

Ihsan Jaafar told AKnews that the ministry is concerned about the spread of the disease in remote areas of the country, far from medical facilities.

?Mountain areas and areas close to water are the most in danger of suffering a flu pandemic,? he said.

Jaafar assured that the Ministry is taking pro active measures to control the spread of the disease.

?The flu will be treated seriously by the ministry as it is spread during the change of seasons, especially in the winter months?.

?The disease can be eliminated by providing basic medication,? he said.

Avian flu (H5N1) commonly known as bird flu was first discovered in Italy in 1878. The disease is spread by chickens and migratory birds.

Iraq registered the first fatality from avian flu in 2006.

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