ISLAMABAD (January 30 2004): Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) on Thursday announced that the H7 virus in the chicken flocks of Karachi has been contained and clarified that the disease has nothing to do with the bird flu which is causing human deaths in far-eastern countries.

However, PPA admitted that there was no vaccine in the country for H5N1 disease, which caused dozens of human deaths in Thailand and Vietnam.

"The H7, H9 virus is prevalent in Pakistan since 1995 and it has never caused any problem in humans while H5N1 is the specific chicken virus of Far Eastern countries so these two diseases are altogether different," said PPA Islamabad Convenor Dr Muhammad Sadiq while addressing a press conference here on Thursday.

PPA Ex-Chairman Dr Amjad, National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) Virologist Dr Khalid Nadeem Khawaja and other figures of poultry industry also spoke to the newsmen on the occasion.

Dr Sadiq said that the vaccine against H5N1 virus was not available in Pakistan. "This virus is not prevalent in Pakistan so why should we have vaccine?" Dr Sadiq claimed that the H7 virus which affected the poultry industry in Karachi in month of November, had been contained through vaccination and massive destruction of affected chicken."

The problem is over and all the new birds have been properly vaccinated". He said millions of affected chickens were killed and disposed of by the poultry workers in Karachi and effective measures are being taken to prevent the disease in other parts of the country.

However he said Punjab and Islamabad has not witnessed any case of the said disease so far and the chicken and eggs are safe for consumption.

Dr Sadiq informed that there were around 500 million chicken birds in the country at as many as 18,000 poultry farms.

He said H7 affected chicken can not transmit disease to human even if is eaten." The virus is killed when the meat is cooked." Dr Amjad told the newsmen that Pakistani experts had prepared the vaccine for H7 virus in 1995 when it was diagnosed in the country's chicken for the first time.
India bans poultry imports.

Courtesy Business Recorder