# 366
In what may prove to be nothing more than a coincidence, the brother of one of the 5 members of a cluster of H5N1 victims who died last year in Azerbaijan has died. He was hospitalized, with suspicions that he may have had bird flu, which I first reported on here.
The Agriculture Minister, earlier today, issued a strong statement declaring that there was no truth to the rumors that there was bird flu in Azerbaijan.
INFORMATION ABOUT BIRD FLU SPREAD IN AZERBAIJAN IS NOT TRUE, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE
[January 28, 2007, 14:12:09]Azerbaijan Minister of Agriculture Ismat Abbasov said information about spread of the deadly bird flu virus across the country is not true.
Commenting on results of the tests on a 14-year-old boy from Salyan province, suspected of having contracted the H5N1 virus, the Minister said they proved negative.
The boy was hospitalized after he fell sick with a high temperature, and local doctors feared he might have contracted bird flu.
But analysis carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Service and Ministry of Health found no signs of H5N1.
A few hours later, we received word via Reuters, that the 14-year-old boy had died in the hospital.
Azeri boy suspected of having bird flu dies
Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:57 PM GMT
BAKU (Reuters) - A 14-year-old Azeri boy, treated for suspected bird flu in a medical institute in the capital, Baku, died on Sunday before his diagnosis could be finally established, a Health Ministry spokesman said.
"According to information from the institute, the boy died today in the morning," Anar Kadyrly said. "Azeri specialists suspected he had bird flu, but three tests conducted in Baku showed he had acute pneumonia."
Kadyrly said the boy's blood sample had been sent for analysis to a laboratory in London endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), but no results had returned so far.
A strange, and sad story. One that we will have to wait for awhile to know the details.
For now, it's a mystery.
