ISLAMABAD, May 20: Pakistan will soon have Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment to test samples and determine strains of avian influenza virus within six hours, compared to 24 to 72 hours analysis needed by existing facilities.

In a ceremony held at the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) on Saturday, USAID announced that it was purchasing PCR equipment worth $50,000 for NRL as part of an assistance package. The package also includes 2,000 sets of personal protective equipment that protects the rapid response teams investigating avian influenza outbreaks and handling infected birds.

By streamlining the process for identifying the disease, unnecessary culling of birds would be eliminated. Besides, it would also help check spread of the disease to humans.

Over 120,000 birds were culled in Pakistan when 28 small - scale poultry farms confirmed cases of H5N1 strain.

Speaking on the occasion, US Ambassador Ryan C Crocker appreciated the NRL staff and said they worked round the clock after the outbreak of avian flu and did extensive testing of the samples.

They also did a good job by communicating to the people that the entire process of containing the disease was being done in a transparent way.

Randall Tobias, the global USAID administrator, also praised the work of NRL and its 11 field labs. Because of their hard work and dedication to the safety of communities, Pakistan has not experienced bird-to-human or human-to-human cases of avian influenza.

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) Secretary Ismail Qureshi said both Pakistan and USAID were working jointly to contain the threat of avian flu, which had become a global challenge. He also appreciated US for its role in strengthening the National Agriculture Research Council.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Pakistan Memed Gunawan was optimistic that the bird flu crisis would be overcome through joint efforts of USAID, FAO and MINFAL.

NRL network was set up by the livestock ministry in 2004 with financial and technical support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The lab, which is the only FAO-approved facility for handling avian influenza pandemic in South Asia, is currently funded by USAID and managed by FAO.

Our Reporter adds: The US has agreed to long-lasting cooperation in the education sector, and in this regard it would help Pakistan in improving infrastructure at school level specially in the rural areas.

The suggestion of setting up of a world-class technological institute by the US was also floated by the Federal Minister for Education, Lt-Gen (R) Javed Ashraf during his meeting with the Director of Foreign Assistance and the USAID Administrator Randall L. Tobias here on Saturday.

The meeting was also attended by the US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker, the Minister of State for Education, Senator Anisazeb Tahirkheli and other senior officials of the United States State Department, USAID and the Ministry of Education.

The minister told the delegation that a state-of-the-art institute of Science and Technology, on the pattern of Massachusetts Institutes of Technology for the Pakistani students would be the best monument of cooperation between the two countries.

While apprising the delegation about the reforms being introduced in the country he said besides free education for all, new scheme of studies had been prepared and approved by the President which would soon be sent to all the provinces for their consensus.