Contact between humans and diseased poultry poses the principle danger, says Turkish Health Minister.

"The worst situation is a panic situation. There is no reason to panic," Dr. Marc Danzon, the UN health agency's regional director for Europe, told reporters at a news conference with Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag. Danzon said health officials were doing, "everything that is known to maintain and manage this difficult situation."

However, he added: "The risk is global ... We need to exercise solidarity."

Poultry, Not Humans Spread the Deadly Virus

In Rome, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization cautioned that the Turkish outbreak could spread to farms in neighboring countries.

"The virus may be spreading despite the control measures already taken," said Juan Lubroth, senior animal health officer at the agency. "Far more human and animal exposure to the virus will occur if strict containment does not isolate all known and unknown locations where the bird flu virus is currently present."

Danzon said there were no signs that the deadly strain, which preliminary tests indicate has infected 15 Turks - including two children who have died - was being transmitted person to person.

"There is no transmission from human being to human being through a mutation that could cause a pandemic. We are not there at this point," he said. Health experts have warned of the possibility that H5N1 could mutate into a potent form easily passed between people, triggering a pandemic capable of killing millions worldwide.

Outbreaks Increasing at Record-Pace

The WHO said earlier Wednesday that bird flu had killed two more people in China, bringing the total number of humans killed by the disease in that country to five and pushing the death toll worldwide to 78.

Turkey's 15 suspected cases in one week is a record for the current bird flu outbreak. WHO so far has confirmed only four of Turkey's 15 reported cases as H5N1, but said it is confident the remaining samples would be positive. If all are confirmed, it would be the highest number of cases ever seen in such a short time.

"We don't need to confirm each and every case to confirm the outbreak," said Guenael Rodier, a senior WHO official for communicable diseases.

Three people died last week, but only two were confirmed to have tested positive.

Health Minister Claims Turkey Still Safe for Travelers

Asked about whether countries should ban or restrict their citizens from traveling to Turkey, Danzon called it "a non-story" and said there was no reason to take such measures. In Turkey, all of the cases appeared to have involved adults or children who touched or played with infected birds.

"I can easily say that the situation is under control," Akdag said. "We hope that the numbers won't rise. The whole issue is not to contact birds and not to let kids contact them."

"The people of the country need to perfectly understand that the danger is contact between sick or dead poultry and a human being, especially a child," Danzon added. "This is the key point for the future. This is where we need to pass messages to the population and inform local leaders."

Neighboring Countries Step Up Precautions

The European Union decided Wednesday to continue monitoring wild birds and poultry until year end, and neighboring Greece and Bulgaria stepped up border checks, the disinfecting of trucks from Turkey and the distribution of pamphlets warning of the risks.

On Tuesday, Syria also tightened border controls, stepping up checks on Turks entering neighboring Syria to visit families during the Muslim festival of Eid. A man who wanted to cross with a fighting rooster he wanted to show off was turned away, the Cihan news agency reported.

Turkish Government Taking Pro-active Measures

Turkey's government, anxious to demonstrate that it was taking decisive action, ordered more than 300,000 fowl destroyed as a precaution. Health officials said Tuesday most of the 70 or so people hospitalized with flu-like symptoms had tested negative for bird flu.

"The situation has been taken seriously from the beginning" in Turkey, Danzon said.

"The action in the country has been appropriate and the management of this crisis is at the level where it should be and we are satisfied both by the type of action taken by the Ministry of Health and by the possibility of our team to act independently and with transparency," he added.

Rodier said experts were monitoring the progress of H5N1 confirmed in two boys, ages 5 and 6, who are hospitalized in Ankara but have not displayed symptoms, calling it the first time cases of the deadly strain were documented at such an early stage.