# 1485
Over the past couple of years we've heard many rumors about bird flu in Iran, and just as many denials by the Iranian government.
On December 25th of 2007, Azerbaijan banned the import of Poultry from Iran due to bird flu fears.
Azerbaijan bans Iranian chicken imports
25/12/2007 13:37 (23 Day 01:51 minutes ago)
The FINANCIAL -- According to APA, Azerbaijan has put a ban on importation of chicken and poultry products from Iran after a Bird Flu was discovered in the Republic.
The State Veterinary Service under the Ministry of Agriculture said Azeri businessmen have not imported any chicken and poultry products from Iran for six years.
“If anybody applies for importation of these products from Iran, they will be answered “No”, said the State Veterinary Service.
Iran has started to cull out birds in Tehran, Eastern Azerbaijan and Zangan Provinces although authorities deny existence of bird flu.
Etimad Newspaper quoted a vet as saying bird flu has spread in Iran. According to the newspaper, hens have been killed after they were found infected with the bird flu virus coming from the North.
Now, more than a month after the die off was first detected, Iran is finally reporting on an outbreak of avian flu in their country.
The Iranian government officially denied they had bird flu the same day.
No confirmed bird flu case detected in Iran
TEHRAN (IRNA) - Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani on Monday announced that no confirmed case of bird flu has been detected in the country since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year beginning on March 21, 2007.
These denials have continued for another 3 weeks. That is, until today.
This from the Straits Times.
Iran reports H5N1 bird flu outbreak
Jan 17, 2008
PARIS - IRAN has reported an outbreak of deadly H5N1 bird flu among free-range chickens, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Thursday.
The outbreak on Dec 10 was not reported to the Paris-based body until Wednesday, it said.
Iran reported that 14 birds were infected and that another 475 were destroyed, said the animal health organisation, also known as the OIE.
It is an inter-governmental body responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
The OIE has been at the forefront of global efforts to monitor and fight H5N1, which scientists have tracked because they fear it may mutate into a human flu virus that starts a pandemic.
The outbreak was in Mazandaran province on the Caspian Sea, the OIE said.
It said investigations are under way to trace the source of the infection and its 'probable spread.'-- AP
