KARACHI, March 3: Sindh Environment Adviser Muhammad Noman Saigal has advised all the workers and owners of poultry farms to adopt every precautionary measure to thwart any danger of bird flu virus.

He was talking to a delegation of the Pakistan Poultry Association, which called on him at his office on Friday. The delegation informed the adviser that bird flu virus did not exist in Pakistan nor there was any danger to this effect.

The adviser asked those in the poultry business to use gloves and special masks for keeping themselves immuned from any virus. He said that there should be environmental impact assessment of all the poultry farms, which should be set up away from urban areas so that there may not be any difficulties for general public.

Noman Saigal asked them to contact the Bird Flu Crisis Management Cell to get better and useful advice. He assured the delegation that the government wanted to provide safe and healthy food to people.

The adviser further stated that the government desired to promote every sort of business and industry and this included poultry. He said that all precautionary measures were being adopted in the face of the danger of bird flu virus.

The delegation members said that there was no danger of bird flu in Pakistan. However, they said that in view of the prevailing situation, special vaccine was being imported, which would reach Karachi in a couple of days. The vaccine would be provided to all poultry farms to cope with any emergency.

They asked people not to be intimidated and keep consuming chicken and eggs, as the virus detected in chickens in the NWFP was not harmful for human.

Accusing some pharmaceutical companies of making false propaganda about the virus, they urged the government to foil the “negative propaganda” and make official clarification on the issue. They asked media not to publish the news regarding spread of bird flu virus before it was proved.—APP/PPI