Pakistan reports new cases of bird flu in 2 provinces
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Pakistan reports new cases of bird flu in 2 provinces*
09 Apr 2007 14:44:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
KARACHI, April 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan reported new bird flu cases on
Monday in commercial poultry farms in the southern province of Sindh and
in North West Frontier Province, a government official said.
"Two to three days back we found traces of H5N1 virus in small poultry
farms in Sindh and NWFP," Mohammad Afzal, Commissioner for Livestock at
the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, told Reuters.
"We have culled all the birds at these farms and disinfected the area."
He said some 300 to 350 birds had been culled at one farm but did not
say how many H5N1 cases of bird flu had been discovered.
Since late last year, outbreaks of avian flu have swept from Asia to
Britain, as well as touching Egypt and Nigeria.
Several outbreaks have been detected in chickens in small poultry farms
this year in Pakistan and birds have been culled.
Authorities temporarily shut Islamabad Zoo in February after four
peacocks and a goose died of the H5N1 strain. Pakistan has had no human
cases of the virus.
Afzal asid quarantine and vaccination measures were also being used in
and around the affected farms.
Pakistan first detected the H5N1 strain of the virus in February 2006 in
North West Frontier Province and ordered about 40,000 birds culled.
Since 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 170 people around the
globe and experts fear it could mutate into a form that could jump
easily between people and cause a pandemic.