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Third bird flu case confirmed in Pakistan

B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday confirmed third outbreak of H5N1 bird flu at a farm on the outskirts of the national capital. A spokesman told media that over 3,600 birds were found dead at the farm on Friday evening. "We collected samples and conducted tests. The tests on Sunday confirmed it is a case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu." He said the strain was found in Sihala, 20 km from Islamabad. The farm had been quarantined and samples were being collected from nearby poultry farms, he said. Pakistan confirmed two cases last month at two chicken farms in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Over 25,000 birds were slaughtered and the affected farms were sealed off. Poultry industry in Pakistan has been badly hit in recent months in the aftermath of reports of bird flue. More than 1.5 million people are directly or indirectly employed by 100-billion-rupee (1.6-billion-dollar) a year poultry industry.

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