April 18, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, April 17: Medical tests of the workers of a poultry farm in Sihala, where H5 virus was detected, have shown no sign of infection and they are safe and healthy, said federal Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan.

He was talking to mediapersons at the inauguration of a five week In-Country Training Programme on Safe Management of Newborn Infant at Children Hospital of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Monday.

The minister said the H5 virus detected in the Sihala poultry farm located in the outskirts of Islamabad was not harmful, and there was no confirmation of the deadly N1 strain as yet. However, samples have been sent abroad for further confirmation, he said.

The government has taken strict precautionary measures to prevent any possible outbreak of bird flu in the country, Mr Khan said, adding that no case of H5N1 was reported from any place, and the poultry industry was safe.

He said there was no harm in eating properly cooked chicken, adding that poultry items were not taken off the menu in official gatherings.

Pims Executive Director Dr Fazle Hadi said all arrangements had been made in the hospital to meet any untoward situation. Special isolation units have been set up, he said, adding that gowns and gloves for paramedical staff had already been procured, while provision of medicines and arrangements of fumigation were being made on emergency basis.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the federal minister said neonatal mortality in developing countries, including Pakistan, was alarmingly high and nearly two-thirds of all deaths during first year of life occurred in the first month.

He said this high rate was due to multiple factors like high fertility rate, lack of antenatal care, low level of women literacy, lack of skilled care at birth and infections.

The government, he said, was considering preparing a comprehensive maternal and neonatal health strategy to contain the alarming number of maternal and newborn deaths, he said.

Talking to about the training programme, Dr Fazle Hadi said this was the fifth such activity organized at pims for paediatricians.

He said over five million babies were born in Pakistan every year and majority of the births occurred in rural and underdeveloped areas lacking required facilities and expertise.

However, after getting training, the expertise level would increase and neonatal problems could be brought down.

National programme manager, Prof Mahmood Jamal, while highlighting the format and activities of the training workshop, said Pakistan was at the fourth number in the list of countries with high newborn deaths.

More than five million babies are born every year in Pakistan, of which about 300,000 die in the first month, he said, adding that almost every two minutes we were losing a precious life mostly due to preventable causes.

Dr Hadi said experts in the field would also be invited from other parts of the country to impart training to the participants. In this regard, an expert is also arriving from Japan.