2/21/2006
Daily Times

Health Ministry has expressed that they were very concerned over the detection of bird flu in India which has been confirmed by that country.

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to ban the import of poultry and live birds from India, Iran and France where cases of bird flu have been reported.

The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture chaired by Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Saturday.

The Commerce Ministry had a few months ago, through an SRO, imposed a ban on the import of poultry and poultry products and other captive live birds from Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Greece, Romania and China on account of Avian Influenza H5N1 strain until further orders.

The meeting noted that Pakistan was free from bird flu but needed to take all possible precautionary measures including increased surveillance and expanded disease-testing facilities across the country. The primary focus of the preventive measures would be poultry handlers and the health workers.

A national strategy for the prevention and control of Avian Influenza is already in place under which six rapid response teams have been established by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

The meeting noted that Pakistan had the capacity to diagnose bird virus in laboratories located in various parts of the country and also a central laboratory run by the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The meeting noted the important role of district governments in the prevention and control of bird flu and advised them to activate their local livestock and wild life departments for effective surveillance and monitoring through close interaction with poultry farmers. Over 3000 veterinarians across the country have been tasked with keeping a close vigil on the situation and maintaining a continuous liaison with the livestock departments. The meeting also decided to create help lines.

The Health Ministry has succeeded in creating a small stock of Temiflu and has requested the World Health Organisation to provide additional doses, used in treatment of bird flu, from its regional stock at Cairo.