France is investigating a possible case of bird flu in a woman who has returned from Turkey, the French health ministry said today.
"A first test has come out as negative. Other tests are under way," a ministry spokesman said.
The woman was hospitalised in Montpellier following a two-week stay in Turkey in a region that "in principle" has not been affected by the disease, he said.
Turkey has reported at least four deaths from the H5N1 strain of bird flu this month.
The epicentre of Turkey's outbreak is in the east, near to Syria, Iraq, Iran and Armenia.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed at least 80 people since late 2003.
Victims contract the virus through close contact with sick birds, but there are fears it could mutate into a form that can pass easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic.
