KARACHI, Feb 1: Consumption of poultry poses little risk to human health provided the bird is healthy and the food is thoroughly cooked, said medical experts on Friday while calling for a regulatory body to inspect and monitor the quality of meat and dairy products being sold in the market.

The experts also urged the government to carry out a transparent investigation into the annual outbreaks of bird flu to determine the extent of its infection, as there were rumours that the episode was played up by vested interests to affect chicken prices.

On the consumption of chicken, they agreed that it posed no harm, provided the animal was healthy and the food was cooked well. This, they said, was in accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines.

The Pakistan Medical Association’s President, Dr Aziz Khan Tank, said it was preferable if the birds were slaughtered at home, adding that it was the safest way to ensure hygienic food.

“What people can do is to avoid the purchase of poultry meat from the open market and buy a healthy bird instead, which should ideally be slaughtered at home. Any dish containing meat and eggs should be cooked at a high temperature. Half-boiled or half-fried eggs pose no risk.

“On the other hand, it’s the prime responsibility of the government to ensure that the meat of only healthy animals gets into the market,” he said, adding that the news of the incidence of bird flu from neighbouring countries should have made the government take precautionary measures.

About the vaccination of birds, Dr Shafqat Mir, head of the Sindh Poultry Vaccine Centre, said that three strains of bird flu virus had been found in Pakistan and vaccinations for all three of them were being prepared at the centre. “Vaccines are expensive and sometimes farmers avoid them to save money. Besides, it requires monitoring for re-vaccination in some cases.

“The H5 strain, which has hit Karachi, first affected birds in the neighbouring countries. The victims here were mostly non-vaccinated broilers,” she said, adding that government laboratories in Karachi were properly equipped to carry out the diagnosis of bird flu.