Bird flu outbreak kills 6,000 chicks
By Muqaddam Khan June 23, 2008 SWABI - The district health department and World Health Organisation (WHO) have closed down a poultry farm at Tordher village after confirmation of bird flu reported from the samples sent to Islamabad laboratories for test on Sunday.
Sources in the livestock and dairy development said that they were suspicious about the Hamid Poultry Farm and took the samples.
Immediately after the virus reports, the WHO and police officials, District Coordination Officer and livestock and dairy department staff reached the poultry farm.
There were total 6,000 chickens in which 4,000 had already expired and the remaining 2,000 were culled, said officials in the livestock department. The killed broilers, they said, were buried while keeping in mind the health principles and the officials supervised the whole operation.
To take remedial measures the people within three kilometres of the poultry farm were placed under observation by the health department. The tests on the people were yet to be carried out.
However, the news of the bird flu has created panic in the region, putting all the people on high alert.
All workers on the affected farm were examined by the Ministry of Health but none was found to have been affected by the virus, he added.
Local health officials are monitoring surrounding farms and advised them to take precautionary measures including vaccination of birds, he said.
Pakistan's first H5N1 cases were detected in March 2006 at two chicken farms in North West Frontier Province, prompting consumer panic and a mass slaughter of birds at several sites.