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 RANIYA, Iraq (AP) - Battered by rampant violence and political instability, a new threat in Iraq was confirmed Monday — the first case of the deadly bird flu virus in the Middle East.
A 15-year-old Kurdish girl who died this month had the deadly H5N1 strain, Iraq and U.N. health officials said. The discovery prompted a large-scale slaughter of domestic birds in the northern area where the teen died as the World Health Organization formed an emergency team to try to contain the disease's spread.
"We regretfully announce that the first case of bird flu has appeared in Iraq," Iraqi Health Minister Abdel Mutalib Mohammed told reporters.
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