Bird flu detected in Turkey's most crowded city

Turkish authorities said on Thursday that bird flu cases had been detected in the country's most populous city Istanbul, but there is no risk of an epidemic at present.

Traces of the virus were discovered in wild winged birds in both European and Anatolian sides, Kartal and Arnavutkoy districts in specific, officials said, adding that actions had been taken.

The authorities have banned hunting in city's forestlands until the end of September, hoping to block virus transmission from wild animals to poultry and people.

Research on the virus is still going on, but there is no risk of a bird flu epidemic in Istanbul at present, as outbreaks are being localized, officials from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock told Xinhua.

The bird flu has not spread to people in Istanbul, an official statement said.

Bird flu cases were also seen in the country before. At the beginning of May, bird flu virus was detected in the western province of Balikesir. The authority then quarantined the region and killed more than 120,000 chickens in Mudanya district. More than two million chickens in western Turkey were later killed for precaution.

In this spring, more than nine million birds, mostly turkeys, either died from H5N2 virus or were euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease. Endit