April 10, 2007

Pakistan reports new cases of bird flu in chicken farms

Pakistan reported new bird flu cases Monday (Apr 9) in commercial poultry farms in the southern province of Sindh and in North West Frontier Province, a government official said.

Traces of the bird flu virus were found in small poultry farms in both provinces, Mohammad Afzal, Commissioner for Livestock at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said.

All birds at the farms have been culled and the area disinfected, he added.

It was not known how many chickens were infected with the flu.

Several outbreaks have been detected in chickens in small poultry farms this year in Pakistan but so far there have been no human cases.

Authorities temporarily shut Islamabad Zoo in February after four peacocks and a goose died of the H5N1 strain.

Pakistan first detected bird flu in February 2006 in North West Frontier Province and ordered about 40,000 birds culled.