13 February 2004	Friday	21 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 12: The adviser to chief minister on health, Nauman Saigal, has said that investigations conducted so far show no sign of bird flu in the province and if there is any that is not harmful for human life.

He expressed these views in a meeting, which was attended by Additional Secretary Health Iqbal Deewan, World Health Organization representative and others, on Thursday.

The meeting deliberated upon devising policies in collaboration with the United States and other countries for preventing outbreak of diseases. Besides, consultations were held to provide people with correct information about bird flu. The health adviser said that anxiety was prevailing among people in the current situation, but, there was no need for taking any extreme step.

Mr Saigal discussed formation of teams comprising officials from agriculture, health and livestock departments to conduct laboratory tests of samples taken from poultry farms. This would help removing apprehensions of people, as the country was facing trade losses, he added.

The participants of the meeting felt the need that media should be requested not to disseminate information without proper investigation and research so that unnecessary fears should not spread among the masses.

The adviser said that the health department, which had acquired new technology, was ready to face the challenges and a task force had also been formed in this respect.

He mentioned that the WHO and other organizations were ready to extend co-operation and expressed hope that birds would be prevented from any disease, if research was conducted with a proper system. He said that measures would also be taken to ensure that the birds' diseases must not affect human beings.

He said the federal, provincial and district governments with the help of community would make efforts to prevent the birds and human beings from diseases. - PPI