HYDERABAD (January 30 2004): Bird flu has no impact on poultry flock in interior of Sindh as no case or mortality has been reported till date.

This was stated by Dr. Asghar, the district officer of livestock and poultry, while talking to Business Recorder here on Wednesday.

He said the Hyderabad district had a population of 8,33,785 domestic chickens while the commercial stock is over one million but not a single fatal case of the bird flu has been reported so far.

Strict vigilance has been made following reports of the flu, reported to have taken heavy toll of birds at Karachi.

He said following the reports, an emergency survey has been initiated and a vaccine campaign has been launched.

However, the diagnostic laboratory investigations revealed that the flu had spread in layer birds, and not in broiler, in Karachi, due to unprecedented cold but it was of lower intensity of H7 and H9 compared to H5 in Thailand, which has reportedly taken the toll of some human lives.

He said that the announcement of Pakistan Poultry Association, Karachi that 3.5 million chickens have died of the bird flu has triggered a panic throughout the country, which had an adverse impact on poultry breeders.

The panic further deepened when the death of birds and the ban imposed by Japan, Hong Kong and some Gulf countries on import of Pak poultry has gained wider publicity.

The scare created by the bird flu has kept the consumers away from the poultry shops and some of the fast food restaurants have started presenting deserted look, while the prices of chicken meat and eggs have recorded a decline.

Courtesy Business Recorder