12 February 2004	Thursday	20 Zilhaj 1424

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The government has decided to prepare a comprehensive strategy against the outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) and take precautionary measures to curb the fatal poultry disease.

According to officials, the food, agriculture and livestock ministry has hired two special consultants to examine the situation and formulate a report in this connection.

Consultant Tony William of European Union has arrived in the country, and the other, John Philip, is likely to reach here within a few days from Australia.

The consultants will visit various locations and sheds to collect different samples to assess the position and prepare a report. The outbreak of bird flu has been controlled through vaccination and strict bio-security measures in the country and no incidence of Avian Influenza was reported during the month of January.

A total of 1.2 million birds died and 0.5 million were culled by the growers on their own. The samples were collected from the field and tested in the National Veterinary Laboratory, Islamabad, and the Veterinary Research Institute, Lahore.

The virus found in Pakistan was not dangerous for human being and it was H-5 which was harmful for human health.

VULNERABILITY: In Karachi, the World Health Organization Medical Officer (Epidemiology) to Pakistan, Dr Faizullah Kakar, told a workshop that Avian virus or H5N1 had not yet been isolated in Pakistan but it was vulnerable at any point of time like all other parts of the world.

The workshop was jointly organized by the federal health ministry and WHO at the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Tuesday. "The way Avian Influenza is travelling is feared to may also reach Pakistan," he said.

Seeking absolute caution at all levels and all necessary measures to prevent its eruption in Pakistan, he said the Avian Influenza (Influenza-A) virus, isolated in the United States only recently, reinforced WHO's concern and alarm. The US happens to be among the new state among the affected countries as Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, China and Indonesia. -APP