By Our Staff Reporter

LAHORE (February 25 2004): Punjab Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Syed Haroon Ahmad Sultan on Tuesday reiterated that there was no danger of bird flu in the country.

Not a single case of bird flu has been reported from any part of the country, the minister told newsmen at a press conference arranged by the Pakistan Poultry Association (Punjab zone).

He said that the Avian Influenza did affect the layer variety of chicken in Karachi but the government moved swiftly to check its spread. The blood samples of the infected birds were brought to the Punjab and laboratory investigations showed that it was H7 type of Avian Influenza which was harmless for humans, he said.

The federal government, he said, had constituted a coordination committee with experts from the FAO and the WHO. The Punjab government had also taken pre-emptive steps. The minister said panic triggered by media reports had shattered public confidence in poultry products and the industry had since been in crisis.

DAWN