ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: Public health workers culled five sick peacocks and vaccinated all the other birds in the Marghazar Zoo on Tuesday to contain the outbreak of bird flu in the zoo.

Also some two dozen ducks and peahens whose death in recent days had sent alarm bells ringing in the zoo were safely buried, director of the zoo Raja Javed told Dawn.

Officers of the Poultry Research Institute of Punjab (PRIP), the National Agricultural Research Centre (PARC) and the health department of the Capital Development Authority supervised the operation.

Teams of the National Institute of Health (NIH) and CDA Hospital have started monitoring the situation which appeared to be under control as no more birds have been lost to the Avian Influenza, the zoo official said.

A source in the Islamabad administration told Dawn the outbreak was no bolt from the blue. Marghazar Zoo managers were alerted to take precautionary measures after pet birds in the house of an army general in the city had died in scores two weeks ago.

Poultry farmers have similarly been advised after the disease struck the birds in the zoo, he said. the virus had also hit dozens of domestic turkeys and peacocks in Rawalpindi and Mansehra.

Meanwhile, disinfection of the entire zoo has started. It would cover an area of 25 acres of the zoo and its surroundings. Cages where the deadly infection was detected and the area around them would be disinfected twice to protect the 200 birds remaining in the zoo.

“There is no threat to other animals in the zoo,” the zoo director said.

Water in the ponds where ducks fell victim to the disease was drained out after being treated with disinfectants.

Public health teams also took samples of 12 zoo employees who had been performing duties in the infected area and put them under observation. Doctors will re-examine them on Wednesday.

In all the zoo has 84 employees.

Mr Javed said the Marghazar Zoo would remain closed for three days for the safety of general public. The zoo was closed on Monday. Public health departments will examine the zoo on Friday before declaring it safe for visitors.

A plan has been made by the local administration to be prepared for an outbreak of bird flu.

Under the plan all areas within three kilometres’ radius of a poultry farm where a single case of bird flu is traced would be declared “active surveillance area”. Special health teams would provide medicines and care to the people living in the designated area.

A wider area falling within a radius of 10 kilometres of a stricken farm would designated as “passive surveillance area”, according to the local administration.