The United Press International said Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005, that Iraqi medical sources have reported the first case of bird flu in the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil.

However, a moderator of an international scientific and medical organization cautioned against taking the report at face value:

This piece of information, lacking elementary clinical and epidemiological data — such as the number of dead birds — should be viewed with caution.

UPI reported that Ilham Butros, head of the central veterinary laboratory in Erbil, said in a statement that a chicken was found to have been infected with the avian flu virus.

She said a sample was taken from a sick bird at a poultry farm in the city and sent for testing to a Cairo, Egypt, laboratory because Erbil has no facilities to detect such viruses. Butros said the tests confirmed the chicken was infected with avian flu.

Iraqi medical and veterinary officials have repeatedly said Iraq was free of bird flu and the government has taken strict measures to prevent the entry and import of birds, live and slaughtered chicken, and all poultry products.

If true, the report, which could not be confirmed from other sources, would make Iraq the first country in the Middle East to report the strain. Two weeks ago Turkey, which borders northern Iraq, reported a case of the avian flu virus.