ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Thursday directed all departments concerned to strictly implement the ban on the entry of chickens in Islamabad to check avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

The direction was given at a high-level coordination meeting of all departments concerned held here under the chairmanship of deputy commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mahmood Pirzada. The federal cabinet on Wednesday had restricted inter-provincial movement of chicken.

The meeting of ICT administration was called to review the situation in Islamabad and to suggest precautionary measures to avoid any untoward situation with regard to avian influenza.

The meeting was told by Dr Khalid Naeem Khawaja of Virology Animal Institute, National Agriculture Research Centre, that the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were completely safe from the virus because so far no such case had been detected.

He said precautionary measures were also suggested during the meeting for bird handlers, which would soon be provided to them for effective implementation. The meeting also considered measures to protect and ensure health of general public.

The deputy commissioner directed the district health and livestock departments to ensure effective coordination with the experts to constantly monitor the situation.

Bird flu has so far taken a toll of 3.5 million chickens reportedly around Karachi, but todate no human case of H5N1 influenza has been detected in Pakistan. The birds which were killed in Karachi were because of the two strains H7 and H9, which were not known to transmit infections to humans.

The meeting was also attended by Dr Birjees Mazhar Qazi, Chief Public Health, NIH; Dr Khurshid Ahmed, veterinary doctor, Poultry Research Institute Rawalpindi; Dr Iftikhar Malik, physician, Federal Government Services Hospital; Dr Zafarul Haq Lodhi, District Health Officer Islamabad; Dr Amjad Malik veterinary doctor Livestock Department Islamabad.

Dr Zafarul Haq Lodhi told the meeting that he already had visited 65 sheds of poultry farms at Bhara Kahu, Pind Begwal, Simly Dam, Tarlai, Lethrar Road and Piracha Chowk and not a single complaint of any disease was received.

Recently, the National Institute of Health (NIH) had issued directions to completely destruct and dispose of, by burning and burying, the entire flock of poultry incase of an outbreak of bird flu. The directions suggested not to use discarded birds for preparing poultry feed and any leftover feed in the poultry farm be completely destroyed. Besides, the infected poultry farms be fumigated after removal of the birds/litter and feed.

It has been further advised that bird handlers be protected by taking appropriate measures, including provision of protective equipment like masks, aprons, gloves.

Muhammad Ilyas adds: The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has said the virus strain of bird flu taking its toll in the Far East is distinct from that affecting the poultry birds in the country, therefore, the concern shown by people here is unfounded.

The PPA convenor Dr Mohammad Sadiq held a press conference here on Thursday which was attended by a large number of poultry farmers. "With a view to allaying "far-fetched" apprehensions resulting from rumours and the reports splashed by the media," the PPA representative said.

The bird flu, Dr Sadiq, said was not a new disease. It is a well-known ailment which has been appearing from time to time all over the world, he added. He said, in Pakistan, it was diagnosed for the first time in 1995 and viruses H7 and H9 were identified as the cause. Pakistani experts developed a vaccine that helped overcome this disease, he added.

"Towards the end of 2003 some layer hens in the environs of Karachi were found to have contracted it. "This condition too was diagnosed by the experts as H7 and H9 and it was overcome by the application of vaccine and certain preventive measures," he said.

Dr Sadiq asserted the scientists all over the world were of the view that the H7 and H9 virus of poultry birds was not capable of affecting human beings. The validity of this view has been proved by the fact that ever since its detection in Pakistan in 1995, the viruses were not a threat to human health, he added.

The bird flu which has spread in some countries of the Far East is attributed to the H5 virus. It has been identified as the cause whenever bird flu hits the poultry birds in those countries, said the PPA convenor.

"But the bird flu found in Pakistan has no similarity with that diagnosed in Far East and both these diseases are quite different from each other. "The Pakistan Poultry Association, with full sense of responsibility, declares that the poultry meat and eggs produced in Pakistan is safe," Dr Sadiq added.