WHO satisfied with the level of preparedness against bird flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Pakistan's level of preparedness against avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. There have been no reported cases of bird flu either in poultry or humans in the South Asian country to date. “Pakistan has a good level of preparedness, thanks to the presence of international level laboratories on both the human and animal side, as well as a good surveillance system for the rapid detection of and response to cases and outbreaks,” Sacha Bootsma, a WHO spokeswoman, told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Friday. However, as a precautionary measure it is recommended that children should not play with chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys nor keep them as pets, she warned. "WHO wishes to emphasise that cooked chicken and eggs, at or above 70 degrees centigrade, are safe to eat and are never affected by bird flu," she added. In terms of preventive measures, Pakistan’s Ministry of Food and Livestock has already banned the import of poultry products and birds from 22 countries, including neighbouring India and Iran, where bird flu cases have been reported. Wild bird hunting has also been banned to prevent hunters from killing migratory birds. A national strategy for prevention and control of avian influenza is already in place in the South Asian nation, under which 24 rapid response teams have been established by the food ministry. According to the food ministry, Pakistan has the capacity to diagnose bird virus through 12 laboratories located in various parts of the country, as well as a central laboratory functioning in the National Agricultural Research Council (NARC) in Islamabad, which has been declared as the South Asian regional hub laboratory by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "The excellent cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock is a further asset in the efficient prevention of the disease to be found in Pakistan,” a WHO statement said. Meanwhile, poultry associations from across the country report that poultry workers have already taken due preventive measures and they are vaccinating the birds regularly. In 2003 and 2004, Pakistan destroyed about 3.5 million birds after an outbreak of the less virulent H9 and H7 strains of bird flu, inflicting heavy losses to the poultry industry.