ANKARA, October 14, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – With the danger of bird flu getting closer to their borders, Arab countries started taking their own precautions as Turkey was on high alert after the discovery of a lethal strain of bird flu on its soil and banned the hunting of wild birds Friday in a bid to prevent the spread of a virus that can kill humans.

Despite assuring statements by Turkish officials, Arab countries have banned imports of poultry and poultry products from Turkey and Romania.

Iraq, a major importer of poultry and eggs from neighboring Turkey, announced Friday, a ban on imported birds, poultry and eggs in a bid to guard against a potential bird flu outbreak, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"It is forbidden to import any kind of fowl or birds as well as poultry and eggs to guard against the risks of bird flu," a government official said in a statement.

The Iraqi government further asked people to inform the authorities if dead bird carcasses were seen anywhere in the country.

Similarly, Jordan declared Friday that it is taking extreme precautionary measures against Bird Flu.

The Jordanian anti-Bird Flu National Committee recommended stopping poultry imports from all over the world, according to the official News Agency Petra.

The committee also recommended banning bird hunting all over the country, to minimize infection risk.

In Syria, the Syrian minister of agriculture told Al-Thawra daily that his country, which borders Turkey, is on high alert and that no Bird Flu case was reported so far.

Other Arab countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have earlier banned poultry imported from countries where Bird Flu was detected.

Bahrain has provided 4 million vaccinations while Kuwait established an expert following up committee.

Egypt has earlier declared that it will not import "living poultry" from any other country worldwide.

Egypt further banned wild hunting, with the ministry of Civil Aviation taking ultimate precautionary measures to deal with passengers arriving from destinations with reported bird flu cases.

Fears of Bird Flu coming to the Arab world were highlighted when the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health said 3,673 wild waterfowl had died in Iran, due to an unclear reason, according to Reuters.

Romania also reported cases of bird flu. (Reuters)

The Turkish government was, meanwhile, doing its best to assure the public after broadcasting news reports of 9 persons being examined for fear of contracting the killer virus.

"It looks like it (the disease) is dying out," ministry spokesman Faruk Demirel told AFP, adding that authorities had tightened controls across the country after tests confirmed that the outbreak in the northwestern village of Kiziksa was caused by the H5N1 strain of the virus, deadly to humans.

He underlined that a three-kilometer (1.9-mile) quarantine zone would remain in place until the end of the month around Kiziksa, where veterinary officials have so far slaughtered nearly 9,000 turkeys, chicken, ducks, geese and pigeons.

"We are especially checking up on poultry farms around Kiziksa" which sector officials say account for a large part of turkey meat production in the country, Demirel added.

In a fresh measure to combat the virus which authorities believe was introduced by migratory birds attracted to a nature reserve near Kiziksa, the environment ministry announced a ban on bird hunting.

"The hunting of all wild birds has been banned until a second order" across the country, the ministry said in a statement, appealing to hunters to faithfully follow the order and avoid contact with migratory birds, which stop in wetlands on their way from north to south.

While the H5N1 strain does not spread easily between people, humans who come in contact with sick birds can contract the virulent disease, which has killed more than 60 of the 120 people infected in southeastern Asia.

Scientists say millions of people around the world could die if the virulent strain of the bird flu crosses with human strains to become highly contagious among people.

Experts have warned that Turkey should prepare for a long battle with bird flu as the country is crossed by three major routes wild birds use to travel to warmer climates.

Romania have also declared earlier that it had detected bird flu in three ducks that died last week although it was unclear whether it was the same H5N1 strain, according to Reuters.

Accordingly, EU experts on avian influenza and migratory birds are holding an emergency meeting in Brussels Friday to discuss preventive measures.

The 25-nation European Union along with Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine, have banned imports of poultry and poultry products from Turkey and Romania.

Hungary said all trucks carrying poultry which transit through Romania would be disinfected at the border, while Germany was tightening controls at borders to try to prevent illegal animal imports bringing the flu into the country, reported Reuters.

In the UK, Britain's chief vet said there was a risk of a deadly strain of bird flu spreading to the UK.