Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23 - February 16th

[hawkeye]

hat-tip bluebonnet at TR

Avian influenza outbreak feared

ASIF CHAUDHRY
LAHORE - Ministry of Health has directed the Health Secretaries, EDOs and head of all the public hospitals to remain on high alert and make emergency arrangements for any epidemic of Avian Influenza virus.
The Ministry warned that a rapid outbreak of Avian Influenza was expected in the country after it lashed the neigbouring country India where thousands of birds were culled.
In a letter issued by the Ministry of Health, while addressing the Secretary Health of all the provinces, DG Health, EDOs, Principals of all the teaching hospitals, MSs of District Headquarters & Tehsil Headquarters hospitals and other health officials, it advised high alert to face any emergency situation.
The Ministry said that the letter should be treated as the most urgent message, directing the concerned officials to take emergent measures without fail to provide emergency treatment to the suspected patients of Avian Influenza virus in the public hospitals which could transmit from infected birds to the human beings.
A Health Department source said that the Ministry of Health Islamabad issued these directions after some more suspected cases of Influenza virus were reported in human beings.
Another main reason behind giving high alert message to the health institutes was the outbreak of bird flu in India where in recent days culling of more than 50,000 infected birds had been conducted in a few days.
As both the countries Pakistan and India have joint borders, there is serious threat of migration of Avian Influenza virus in Pakistan widely from India in coming days.
The cases of Avian Influenza in eight persons in NWFP also panicked the Health Department as well as the people associated with poultry business.
The people associated with poultry business were directly under serious threat of Avian Influenza virus which could transmit to them from the infected birds rapidly.
These people were strictly directed to follow the internationally recommended standards while dealing with the chicken or birds.
They were asked to use eye goggles, masks, gloves, gown, shoes of full length, and adopt other precautionary measures.
A senior official in Health Department said the H5N1 Avian Influenza is more dangerous than dengue fever as its mortality rate is much higher.
Ironically, he said, no proper vaccination of human Avian Influenza or other medicines was available in the public hospital emergency departments and markets as well. Some local medical companies have claimed of having products regarding human Avian Influenza ,however, these products are too costly.
Taking to this scribe the DMS Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Dr. Masood Akhtar Sheikh said that Influenza virus spreads rapidly in winter season.
About symptoms of the Avian Influenza in humans, he said that flu followed by high body temperature are the common symptoms of this disease ,however, it is very difficult to diagnose the bird flu in human beings as symptoms of both the common flu and the bird flu in the human beings are almost same.
He said that it is dire need of the time to provide security and safety to the workers looking after the chicken or birds in the poultry farms as they could fall prey to the Avian Influenza more easily than the other people.
A senior doctor in Sir Ganga Ram said following the instructions of Ministry of Health, the hospital has installed extra beds in the isolated ward of the hospital besides other necessary arrangements.
He however, disclosed that the hospital has no vaccination or other medicines to provide immediate relief to the patients suffering from Avian Influenza.
They would be provided treatment with the medicines of common use.
The hospitals can only administer proper care to the Avian Influenza suspected patients instead of influenza vaccination or related other medicines, he added.

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Cold weather: Pneumonia, chest infection cases on the rise in Islamabad
* Low attendance in schools g Children complain of sore throat, flu
* Traders say 30 percent slump in sales
* Mercury likely to drop further: Met Office

By Saadia Khalid

ISLAMABAD: The prevailing cold and dry weather has caused a significant increase in the number of pneumonia and chest infection cases, especially among children.

After receiving two spells of rain this month, the capital witnessed a remarkable decrease in temperature, as the minimum temperature recorded on Tuesday night was -3 degree Celsius.

A doctor at a leading hospital said the decrease in temperature and dryness were causing many viral diseases including chest infection, flu, cardiovascular and respiratory problems and pneumonia among children. ?Since last week, the number of pneumonia and chest infection patients, particularly children, has increased manifold,? he said.

He said children were more vulnerable to diseases as they were careless. ?Parents should cover children properly with warm clothes to save them from cold-treated diseases,? said the doctor.

The excessive use of heaters not only increases the risk of catching cold but also causes allergies, skin dryness and respiratory problems, he added. ?People should prefer to cover themselves properly with warm clothes rather than using heaters,? he said, adding that a bowl of water should be kept near the heater to maintain the required ratio of moisture in the room.

He said the dry weather was also increasing the number of pollen allergy patients and the use of masks could be affective in this respect. ?Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water could maintain the required moisture in the skin and could lessen the effect of allergy,? he said.

There have been low attendances in schools due to cold weather. ?Most of the children are complaining of sore throat and flu,? said a schoolteacher.

The weather has also affected the business activities in the city, as people prefer to stay at homes instead of going to markets for shopping.

Ashraf Ghazi, Jinnah Super trader, told Daily Times that there had been 30 percent decrease in his sale, as people were not visiting the market due to the biting cold.

?During daytime people remain busy in their offices or other workplaces and shop in evening but decrease in temperature in the evening forces them to stay indoors,? he added. These days, there is only sale of warm clothes sweaters, caps, ear warmers, socks and gloves, said Mian Hammad, a shopkeeper of Karachi Company.

?Shopkeepers selling durables and other day-to-day items are facing huge loss nowadays,? he added.

According to the Met Office, the dry weather is likely to continue next week while the night temperatures are expected to drop further. The minimum temperature recorded on Wednesday was -2 degrees Celsius.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008/01/24/story_24-1-2008_pg11_5

[Niko]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

KARACHI: Outbreak of bird flu feared in Gadap


<center> By Mukhtar Alam</center>
KARACHI, Jan 30: Following the large-scale deaths of birds at a local farm, poultry and health officials have suspected that avian influenza (bird flu) has crept into Karachi.

A senior poultry officer of the Sindh government said that he had been informed about an extraordinary number of mortalities of birds in a farm located on the right side of the Super Highway near the Toll Plaza, lending credence to reports that the much-dreaded bird flu had hit Karachi.

Dr Aslam Jalali, the provincial surveillance officer on avian influenza, said on Wednesday night that a surveillance team which, according to him, had already been working in the area, had collected samples from 10 birds of a poultry farm on Tuesday for confirmation of H5N1 bird flu virus and a laboratory report pertaining to the samples was due to be released from Islamabad on Thursday evening.

Though he maintained that the spread of the disease was confined to only one farm, the relevant quarters claimed that the flu and mortality problem existed in some nearby farms as well, including those maintained by the Rangers.

It was further learnt that some workers of the farm in question were reportedly also suffering from flu. But a senior official in the Sindh health department said that he had no knowledge about any avian influenza case in humans in recent days.

The city government?s focal person on avian influenza, Dr Aslam Pervez, said that he had been told by some officials that samples had been sent to the national reference laboratory on bird flu and any on-the-ground precautionary measures against the spread of bird flu virus in humans could be taken only after getting confirmation from Islamabad.

Sources in the poultry industry said on Wednesday that birds started dying at a farm in Gadap Town about four days ago. Earlier, the number of deaths was low and it was thought that the deaths were due to cold weather. But the situation became alarming when the birds? mortalities started numbering in the thousands per day.

It was further said that the dead birds were thrown away in landfills and open pits without observing the precautionary scientific process, which increased the chances of the spread of infections, whether it was bird flu or something else, through wild birds and other animals.

A livestock department official said that if lab tests confirmed that it was indeed avian influenza, then the farms involved would be asked through the CDGK poultry officer to ensure immediate culling of birds and their scientific disposal, while moves would be taken for further inspection of poultry farms in the vicinity.

One young man, identifying himself as the owner of the farm in question, said that he was a medical student and knew the bird flu phenomenon and that was why he had been keeping the poultry officers of the Sindh government informed about the disease and deaths.

?12,000 birds lost?

?During the last four or five days I have lost almost all of my 12,000 broiler birds of four weeks, who were kept in two sheds in Gadap Town. I had ensured all the routine vaccination to the birds, except the avian influenza (AI) vaccines,? he said, adding that the government officials had told him that there was no need to vaccinate the broiler birds against AI.

Another source said that the magnitude of the deaths of birds and the symptoms of the disease gave the impression that the development was very similar to avian influenza, which had already affected some other poultry forms in Gadap and Bin Qasim towns as well as farms in some other parts of the province.

The national poultry disease reference laboratory last confirmed the presence of the AI virus in Karachi in the first week of April, 2007. Prior to that confirmation from Islamabad, between 4,000 and 7,000 birds had died of the viral infection while about 28,000 birds were killed at three Gadap Town farms, as maintained then by the farms and provincial livestock department.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/01/31/local7.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01310804/H5N1_Karachi.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Bird Flu test results expected today
By Shahzad Shah Jillani

KARACHI: The results for the H5N1 Avian influenza or Bird Flu are expected from the Islamabad laboratories today and it is difficult to say with certainty before that if the disease has in fact broken out in Gadap, experts pointed out Thursday.

?We are waiting for the reports to come, only after that can we officially confirm whether it is bird flu or something else,? said Dr (Capt) Abdul Majid, who is the Special Secretary to the Sindh Public Health Department. The Sindh Livestock department was responsible for sending the tests off but all officials concerned have been ordered to monitor the situation. The WHO is also on the situation and is likely to come on the record if there has been an outbreak indeed.

The fears of bird flu were renewed after at least 400 birds were reported dead, albeit no one was willing to confirm the numbers, last week. This was about the same time that 5,000 birds were culled in India, said Dr Habib Soomro of the Pakistan Medical Association. ?Because we share a border, there is a serious threat the virus will migrate,? he cautioned. According to him, the government panicked after reports of deaths in the NWFP of people associated with the poultry business. Unique Poultry Farm in Gadap Town reported more than 80% of its birds dead at a 5,500-strong farm.

?These people were strictly directed to follow the internationally recommended standards while dealing with chickens or birds,? Soomro said. ?They were asked to use goggles, masks, gloves, gowns, full-length shoes, and adopt other precautionary measures but it was only talk rather than action.?

Despite the fears, Aga Khan University?s Dr Afia Zaffar of the department of Pathology and Microbiology cautioned that it was too early to say anything. ?After the report comes, we could investigate further and explore the cause,? she added.

This much has been confirmed, that there were deaths. A Gadap-based Mehran Poultry Farm worker, who wished to remain unnamed, said that there had been deaths. ?For the last two days the chickens were not as active and did not eat,? he said. ?A few of them were found dead the next morning.?

While the word of the poultry farmers should be treated with a pinch of salt as they stand to lose out the most financially, a spokesman for the association, A. Maroof Siddiqui, did mention that there could be other factors. How could anyone confirm H5N1 without the test results, he said. ?Blood samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Islamabad and the report is expected to be issued Friday,? he said, adding that there could be other reasons why the chickens died.

?It could be some other disease such as New Castle Disease, often called Rani Khait,? he said. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting most species of birds. Clinical signs are extremely variable depending on the strain of virus, species and age of bird, concurrent disease, and preexisting immunity. NDV is so virulent that many birds die without showing any clinical signs. A death rate of almost 100 percent can occur in unvaccinated poultry flocks. NDV can infect and cause death even in vaccinated poultry.

Or the chickens could have died because of a feed shortage. For example, feed has become expensive, particularly grains such as rice and wheat, due to shortages in the open market. ?The canola bean and canola oil are also short but despite this we have not increased the rates of chicken in the market,? Siddiqui explained a little defensively while linking the prices to Bird Flu.

?The change in weather could also be a reason.? The normal body temperature of a chicken is 106 degrees Fahrenheit and they are usually kept under 110 degrees. Sometimes due to the negligence of the staff, who may leave the cover unrolled, the temperature drops down to 50 degrees, which could lead to their deaths. The broiler or laying chicken usually survives for four days if they are infected, said Siddiqui.

Bird flu usually takes from 3 to 7 days for all both types of chickens.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C02%5C01%5Cstory_1-2-2008_pg12_12

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f4faff><TD class=heading_txt height=20>Doctors? team find no bird flu patient in Gadap</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt height=20>By By our correspondent
2/1/2008</TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt>The Sindh Health Department on Thursday while taking note of reports about outbreak of bird flu in a poultry farm of the Gadap Town and reported deaths of hundreds of chickens from a mysterious disease sent a team of doctors to ascertain as to whether any human being is affected.

?The team did not find any patient there,? said deputy secretary health, Dr Shakil Mullick.

He said the health department would take steps accordingly as it receives a sample report from the health ministry in Islamabad.

Dr Aslam Jalali, the provincial surveillance officer on bird flu, said that on Thursday he talked with the health ministry officials who told him that they were still assessing the samples sent to them by the Sindh Health Department.

He said they were taking samples of poultry farms in each district of Sindh since 2004 when the bird flu had hit the Sindh province. He said they have launched campaigns for informing the poultry workers about taking preventive measures such as wearing mask and burying dead chickens. ?I can not say that our directions have been implemented 100 per cent in the Gadap Town,? Dr Jalali said.

He said a mysterious disease has hit one of the poultry farms in the town where 3,000 chickens out of 6,000 had reportedly died so far.

He said they have also taken samples from other poultry farms. He said if the ministry confirmed existence of bird flu in the Gadap Town, then the district government would promptly ?dispose of chickens scientifically.?

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=94082

</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Niko]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

KARACHI: Bird flu fears hit another poultry farm in Gadap


<center> By Mukhtar Alam</center>
KARACHI, Jan 31: While poultry farmers and officials concerned in the Sindh and Karachi city governments are waiting for test reports pertaining to the recent large-scale deaths of birds, a surveillance team on bird flu collected samples from another farm in Gadap Town on Thursday.

Sources in the poultry industry claimed that samples were drawn on Thursday from a poultry farm maintained by the Rangers in Gadap Town so that they could be sent to the National Reference Laboratory For Avian Influenza (bird flu), Islamabad.

In the meantime, some poultry producers and marketers continued making threatening calls to the family whose farm has been suspected of being infected with avian influenza (H5N1) virus for responding to media queries.

?The callers said that as we have ?leaked? the news to the media about the extraordinary number of deaths of commercial broiler birds and now we have to face the consequences,? said one of the family members. ?Would it be viable, from the public health point of view, to suppress the deaths of thousands of birds in four days or so, while the incidence of bird flu cases are frequent now in other countries of the region?? wondered a member of the family that owned the affected poultry farm owner in Gadap.

Contrary to the initial calculations that the Islamabad-based bird flu lab would communicate the test results of the 10 samples taken from birds of the suspected poultry farm by Thursday night, nothing was received in Karachi by the time this report was filed.

Dr Aslam Jalali, the provincial surveillance officer on avian influenza, told Dawn on Thursday that he was continuously in contact with the lab authorities and any results on the samples that were despatched to Islamabad on Wednesday were likely to reach Karachi some time on Friday.

However, when contacted, an official concerned from the Islamabad lab said though the samples had been received and tests were in progress, he could not say exactly when the process would be completed. ?It may take two, five or even seven days to diagnose the disease that hit the birds in the Gadap farm,? he said, requesting anonymity.

In regard to the bird flocks reportedly maintained by the Rangers, Dr Jalali said that the Rangers had contacted the livestock department for the purpose of sampling, following the deaths of a good number of birds in their farms, while the samples would be sent to Islamabad on Friday.

A source said that about one eighth of the Rangers? flock had succumbed to some disease during the last one week and the breaking news about the large-scale deaths of birds in their neighbouring farms in Gadap compelled them to take the authorities concerned into confidence. The Rangers kept fowls numbering around 5,000, out of which 600-700 died recently.

Birds to be buried

The CDGK?s DO Poultry Asadullah Shah Bukhari said that in line with verbal instructions of the Sindh government?s director (poultry), his team had collected and bagged around 2,000 dead birds from the poultry farm from where bird samples were drawn a couple of days ago.

?We intend to dump or bury the bagged birds in an old, dry well present on the premises of the poultry farm late on Thursday night, while the culling of live birds would be executed only when a written letter, confirming the outbreak of bird flu in the farm, from the director is received by the district government,? he said.

It was further learnt that a team of students from a public sector university also visited the site of the private poultry farm in question on Thursday and drew samples for research purposes.

Independent sources said the government should move for an immediate survey of the poultry estate at Gadap to overcome the situation and ascertain the real cause of the deaths of birds in various farms there.

Former PMA general secretary Karachi, Dr Qaiser Sajjad, who is also the chairman of the medical committee of the Arts Council of Pakistan, observed that the authorities were failing to address the situation properly. He also pointed out that despite repeated demands from professionals and pledges by the authorities, a city like Karachi was short of any purposeful virology lab to detect, among other diseases, bird flu both in humans and birds.

In the meantime, the Sindh health department has once again reminded the executive district officers (health) in the province to remain vigilant about any case of human influenza in their respective districts.

Special Secretary, Public Health, Dr Abdul Majid said that EDOs had been asked to coordinate with other members of the joint committee on bird flu and send their surveillance report on a weekly basis.The department had also asked the EDOs to keep under observation the workers of suspected poultry farms and report to the department as well.

The Sindh government?s Director Poultry, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said that some more samples would be taken from birds belonging to private farms in Gadap on Friday. ?It is understood that some virus had crept into the farms in Gadap Town. But its strength (H5, H7 or H9) is yet to be known,? he added.In the case of the farm in question, he said, he had information that 4,000 of a total of 6,000 birds had died due to the unnamed disease, while chances of culling of the remaining birds at the farm also existed, provided the reference lab for avian influenza conveys a positive report.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/01/local4.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

KARACHI: Bird flu fears hit another poultry farm in Gadap




The Sindh government?s Director Poultry, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said that some more samples would be taken from birds belonging to private farms in Gadap on Friday. ?It is understood that some virus had crept into the farms in Gadap Town. But its strength (H5, H7 or H9) is yet to be known,? he added.In the case of the farm in question, he said, he had information that 4,000 of a total of 6,000 birds had died due to the unnamed disease, while chances of culling of the remaining birds at the farm also existed, provided the reference lab for avian influenza conveys a positive report.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/01/local4.htm

The above quote indocates bird flu has been identified (and with 4,000 of 6,000 dead and spreading it is almost certainly H5 or H7 and in view of other recent outbreaks, including northern Pakistan, it is H5N1).

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02010801/H5N1_Karachi_Likely.html

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

H5N1 confirmed

Pakistan culls thousands sick birds as H5N1 hits southern port city

Posted : Fri, 01 Feb 2008

Author : DPA

Islamabad - Pakistani authorities on Friday culled thousands of birds to control an outbreak of avian flu at poultry farms in the southern port city of Karachi, an official said. "We have culled 5,500 birds after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus at a farm in Guddap district," said Ali Akbar, the director of Poultry Research Institute Sindh.

Animal health workers had tightened surveillance at hundreds of other farms that supply poultry products to the city's 15 million people, Ali said, adding the bird flu was limited to only one farm.

But some media reports recently suggested that the virus had affected several poultry farms. Tens of thousands of birds have died in the last three days and the dead foul are being illegally sold in the city, the daily Express said Thursday.

No human infections have yet been reported in Karachi but health officials were conducting tests of the poultry workers.

Pakistan's poultry population has seen multiple outbreaks of H5N1, the strain of avian influenza that can be deadly in humans, since 2006. The first human case was reported in 2007 when nine people in the North-West Frontier Province, six of them blood relatives, were confirmed to have contracted the virus in November.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) later ruled out human-to-human transmission after retests of the patients' blood samples at its laboratory in Geneva.

Bird flu has killed at least 210 people worldwide since 2003. Most human cases of avian influenza are the result of contact with sick birds, but experts fear the virus might mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, sparking a pandemic that could kill millions of people.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/181487,pakistan-culls-thousands-sick-birds-as-h5n1-hits-southern-port.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02010802/H5N1_Karachi_Confirmed.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02010803/H5N1_India_Pak_Pandemic.html

[tropical]

No threat of Bird flu in Islamabad: ICT administration
Associated Press of Pakistan

http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/templates/birdflu/window.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.app.com.pk%2Fen%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D27655%26Itemid%3D2

<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">No threat of Bird flu in Islamabad: ICT administration </td><td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"></td><td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"></td><td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%"></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" valign="top">
ISLAMABAD, Feb 1 (APP): There is no immediate threat of bird flu in the federal Capital and regular surveillance of poultry farms is being conducted in Islamabad.
The sampling of poultry is being conducted on regular basis within the jurisdiction of Islamabad and vigilance at poultry farms and weekly bazaars has been enhanced as part of pre-cautionary measures.


This was informed at a high level meeting on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Commissioner, Islamabad Hamid Ali Khan. The meeting was held to review the preventive measures being undertaken at poultry farms to ensure safety of poultry flock.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of Poultry Research Institute Rawalpindi, representatives of Poultry Associations, Director Agriculture, Industries and Labour Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Tariq Javed Malik and Assistant Director Livestock ICT Dr. Amjad.
The meeting was informed that foolproof preventive measures have been taken at poultry farms to ensure safety of poultry.
As part of pre-cautionary measures, vigilance has been enhanced at the poultry farms and weekly bazaars.
Regular sampling is underway and there is no evidence of H5 virus anywhere in Islamabad.
It was decided in the meeting that bio-security measures at the poultry farms will be further tightened. All poultry farms in ICT will be registered and poultry workers were directed to use protective clothing during work at poultry farms.
Rapid response of ICT teams at field levels will be further activated. Vaccination of poultry will be conducted regularly and CDA sanitation wing will be further activated.
Seminars will be organized at Rural Development Centre to create awareness about the preventive measures among poultry workers and citizens.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Pakistan-Bird Flu
Authorities in the Pakistani southern port city of Karachi on Friday cited the cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a poultry farm.
The virus was detected in a chicken farm in two farms in Gadap locality which has now been sealed off, officials said.
In view of the outbreak of the disease around 5,000 chickens were killed and dumped as a safety measure.
More infected chickens will be slaughtered for which steps were in progress.
Director Poultry Research Sindh province Dr Ali Akbar, while talking to media, has confirmed the spread of bird flu and said that preventive measures were necessary to check it.
He said that the affected poultry farm was sprayed and the poultry workers directed to wear hand gloves during their duties at the farms.
Officials said that the workers at the affected farm will be quarantined for a week to check any spread of the disease.
Officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Islamabad has declared alert across the country to check if there is any indication of bird flu in any other part.
Officials in Karachi sealed one kilometer area around the affected farm and banned any movement of chickens and the people out of the area.
The H5N1 virus does not at present pose a large-scale threat to humans, as it cannot pass easily from one person to another.
However, experts fear the virus could mutate to gain this ability, and in its new form trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.
In Pakistan eight cases of bird flu among people were confirmed in December, the first such cases in the country, according to the World Health Organization.
The cases of H5N1 avian influenza were confirmed in Pakistan's remote North-West Frontier province.
One patient died, six recovered and one remained under medical supervision in the cities of Abbotabad and Mansehra.

<SCRIPT language=javascript> function popupPrint(url) { w = window.open(url, 'IrnaPrintNews', 'status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,m enubar=no,resizable=no,width=600,height=560,direct ories=no,location=no,left=200,top=100') ; w.focus(); } </SCRIPT>News sent: 20:04 Friday February 01, 2008 Print

http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/tamiflu-sales-drop-as-drug-resistance-rises.aspx?googleid=29378

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Bird flu confirmed in Karachi

KARACHI: In the aftermath of mysterious deaths of thousands of chicken since last 3 days, which were conformed as occurred due to suspected deadly viral of Bird flu and Rani Khet, both the affected poultry farms and nearby environs have been completely sealed.

The poultry farms located in the Gaddap Town located on edge of Super Highway, witnessed mysterious en masse deaths of chicken since Wednesday, and which prompted the surveillance teams of health officials and Sindh Poultry Research Institute (SPRI) to survey the affected poultry farms, and procure samples of dead chicken forwarded to (NDL) National Defense Laboratory, Islamabad.
In its finalized reports on Friday, the NDL confirmed the presence of deadly H5N1 and NDA (Rani Khet) viruses in these dead chicken, which were immediately buried in deep pits, packed in plastic bags dipped with chemicals.
The director poultry research production institute Sindh, Dr Akbar Ali Soomro has declared the first ever presence of Bird flu in Sindh region, while (it is pertinent to note that) earlier Bird Flu had been declared as prevalent in Islamabad, Abbotabad and Mansehra regions.
Culling of remaining chicken is being carried out, while a sharp vigil is being carried out in City poultry farms for early detection of the disease, with chemical sprays also being carried out. A detailed orientation of poultry farm workers is also being carried out and directives have been given to conduct sprays and other precautionary measures upto 7 kilometers of the infected areas.

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=123987