August 13, 2010

Pakistan gears up for Newcastle disease outbreaks amid floods

The authorities in Karachi are preparing for an outbreak of Newcastle disease following the latest severe floods.

The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has constituted two mobile teams to contain poultry diseases (Newcastle disease) in the backdrop of heavy rains and floods across the country, according to reports.

One team has stared working under the supervision of Altaf Gohar in areas including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Surjani Town, Saddar Town, Jamshed Town and Keamari Town. The other team under the supervision of Ghulam Mustafa Jamali has started working in areas including Gadap Town, Malir Town, Landhi Town and Bin Qasim Town.

District Officer (DO) Poultry Development Karachi Abdul Ghanni Shaikh has appealed to owners of poultry farms to vaccinate the chickens on an urgent basis.

Meanwhile, flood recovery costs for Pakistan's agriculture industry could be in the billions of dollars, as 0.5 million tonnes each of wheat and sugar had been destroyed.