01 February 2004	Sunday	09 Zilhaj 1424

PESHAWAR, Jan 31: The World Health Organisation has called for adopting precautionary measures against bird flu in the Frontier province.

"So far, no case has been detected in the NWFP, but the possibility exists as three bird flu-causing viruses have already been detected in poultry farms in Karachi," WHO's emergency medical officer Dr Quaid Saeed said here on Saturday.

Dr Saeed identified these viruses strains as being H7N3, H9N2 and H7N7, saying.

He said that one of the strains affecting poultry in Karachi was H7N7, which was capable of infecting humans.

He said that the virus can be transmitted by mechanical means, such as contaminated equipments, vehicles, feeds, cages or soiled clothing.

Dr Saeed said migratory waterfowls and ducks were natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses.

WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT: An official of the wildlife department, said that there was no danger of an outbreak of bird flu infection in the NWFP. He said that they had conducted surveys in the city's major poultry markets and had advised chicken-sellers and poultry workers regarding preventive measures.

"The infection is caused by egg laying poultry and we are focusing on the main egg laying centres in Mansehra and Abbottabad. We are constantly monitoring in this regard," he said.

The WHO official said that while vaccines were available, but at the moment, there was no need to vaccinate the poultry in the NWFP.

TASK FORCE: The provincial health department, in collaboration with the WHO, is planning to set up a task force under the supervision of the department of agriculture. It would have members of livestock, health, information and police departments.

The task force, he said, would liaise with the National Task Force for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Health, Islamabd.

It would ensure the implementation of the ban on the inter- provincial movement of poultry.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT: The NWFP health department has asked the people handling poultry products to wear masks, rubber gloves, glasses and long rubber shoes.

Dr Mohammad Zaheen and Dr Fayyaz Ali of the provincial health department, also urged the people to avoid hunting of birds, especially migratory ducks.

Domestic and commercial poultry, should be cooked at 64 degree Celsius for five minutes, while wild birds and their products should be eaten after being treated at 55 degree C for 15 minutes.

Similarly, they said that all poultry products should be boiled. They said that direct contact should be avoided while slaughtering chickens and birds. Wastes of poultry should be packed and then buried.

The WHO documents showed that there were 15 sub-types of bird flu, two of which - H5 and H7 - were the most lethal for poultry flocks and that they were capable of infecting humans, said an AFP report.

It cited H5N1 as being at the centre of the recent health in Asia, first leapt the species barrier to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six out of 18 cases.

H7N7 bird flu broke out in the Netherlands in 2003, causing the death of a veterinarian and conjunctivitis and other mild illness in 83 others, it said.

A third sub-type, H9N2, was detected among three Hong Kong children in 1999 and 2003, but all three were mild cases, the AFP report said.