Posted on 01/15/2006 7:38:20 PM PST by Dichroic
A Turkish girl died on Sunday from suspected bird flu, while her brother was critically ill in hospital after testing positive for the virus.
Although the Health Ministry said initial tests on 12-year-old Fatma Ozcan proved negative, doctors still suspect she contracted the deadly disease.
If both siblings are confirmed to have bird flu, it would bring the number of human cases in Turkey to 20.
The ministry said tests on her brother Muhammet, 5, showed he has the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which has already killed three other children in Dogubayazit, the same town in eastern Van province that the Ozcan family come from.
The H5N1 virus has been found in wild birds and poultry across large parts of Turkey, particularly in poor villages stretching from Istanbul at the gates of Europe to Van near the Iranian and Iraqi borders.
"The girl who was under treatment in Van, Fatma Ozcan, died today of lung failure. She couldn't be saved," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
" Separately, Van university hospital doctor Huseyin Avni Sahin told reporters: "Fatma Ozcan died today from suspected avian influenza, she came from Dogubayazit five days ago."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I have heard that the healthy have a greater immune response which actually causes the young and healthy to die in greter numbers.
Yup. That's what my link in post #15 says.
BTTT!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.