Tasnim � A senior official at Iran�s Health Ministry dismissed as �false� recent reports about deaths of some people in the country due to the outbreak of bird flu.

All the recent cases of avian flu in the country are seasonal and the prevalence of the disease shows no difference compared to previous years, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, the director of Health Ministry's Center for Communicable Disease Control, said on Monday.

The official further emphasized that rumors about human deaths or bird flu cases, which have been spread in social networks, are false.

Earlier this month, the head of Iran Veterinary Organization said that more than 17 million chickens have been culled in the country over the past ten months as part of efforts to control avian flu.

In comments at a press conference on January 14, Alireza Refiepour said the bird flu would have spread to many parts of the country if the culling operation had not taken place.

According to the official, 15 provinces in Iran witnessed the outbreak of avian flu.