ANKARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The second child who tested positive for bird flu died early Thursday at Van 100th University Medical Faculty Hospital in eastern Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

    Fatma Kocyigit, 15, died at 6:30 am (4:30 GMT) on Thursday, Ahmet Faik Oner, the doctor who was treating the siblings of Kocyigit family, was quoted as saying.

    With the death of Fatma, the number of people who died from bird flu in Turkey increased to two, said the doctor.

    He added that seven other patients with similar symptoms were being treated at the hospital and one of them was in a critical condition.

    Kocyigit was the sister of the 14-year-old Mehmet Ali Kocyigit who also died of bird flu on Jan. 1.

    The Kocyigit children helped to raise poultry on a small farm in Dogubayazit town of Agri province in eastern Turkey, and were in close contact with sick birds.

    Health Minister Recep Akdag announced late Wednesday that the 14-year-old Mehmet Ali Kocyigit died from bird flu on Jan. 1, saying that his two sisters Fatma, who died Thursday morning, and Hulya were also tested positive for bird flu.

    Akdag said that the case was a regional one in Dogubayazit and there was no other bird flu human case in other place. "We have a pandemic plan ready. There is no need to be too alarmist," he added.

    He said that Turkey had enough stocks of medicine to cope with an outbreak. But he warned people, especially those in close contact with poultry, not to touch sick animals.

    According to Akdag, the samples taken from the body of Mehmet Ali Kocyigit would be sent to the World Health Organization's lab in Britain for more tests.

    Regional governors are scheduled to meet today to discuss measures to contain bird flu.

    The minister's statement contradicted a ministry statement earlier this week, which said that the death of Mehmet Ali Kocyigitwas not caused by bird flu.

    The Turkish authorities are closely monitoring the H5N1, for fear it could mutate into a form easily passed between humans and spark a pandemic. Enditem