Avian Flu Found in Dead Crows in Cote D'Ivoire

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Cote d'Ivoire has confirmed that tests on several dead crows found in the yard of the Blaise Pascal High School in the commercial capital, Abidjan, have yielded positive results for H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The crows were found dead in the school yard on October 6th, and according to Dr. Mel Eg Emmanuel, the representative of the FAO in Cote d'Ivoire, emergency measures had been taken including the closure of the high school and disinfection of the entire contaminated area.

He said a team of the National Institute for Public Health had been monitoring 25 people who had been exposed to the carcass of the birds, including 17 who had actually been in contact with the carcass.