New Bird-Flu Fears Surface

January 29, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Bird flu is back. In recent weeks, there have been reported cases in South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia. Now a 14-year-old Azerbaijani boy, who was treated for suspected bird flu, has died in the capital, Baku.

It's still unclear what exactly killed 14-year-old Ajdar Askarov. The Azerbaijani authorities have said the cause of death was acute pneumonia.

"The results were negative," said Anar Qadirly, the head of the press office at the Azerbaijani Health Ministry. "Samples have been taken from the patient and are being prepared to be sent to World Health Organization laboratories. In the village and surrounding areas, we haven't observed any outbreaks or mass deaths among wild and domestic birds."

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