February 17, 2004

Pakistan Free From Deadly H5N1 Bird Flu Virus

The US Health and Human Resources Representative for South Asia, Dr Altaf Ahmed Lal, has declared Pakistan free of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain.

Talking to a group of journalists here on Sunday he said the virus isolated particularly in Karachi has been H7 and H9 and not the lethal H5N1 diagnosed among birds and even in pigs in South East Asia, ultimately contributing to human deaths.

Dr Lal reiterated that even H7 an H9 diagnosed among Karachi based poultry has been contained. Problem is over, he claimed on basis of information provided to him by local authorities.

This was said to be in the backdrop of the fact that otherwise too the meat as well as eggs of these birds were safe provided they were properly cooked at high temperatures. Moreover, he reminded that even earlier the identified sub-types of influenza virus diagnosed in Karachi was only among layer chicken and not in broiler this was an interesting feature of the outbreak, he observed.

Dr Lal, who till last six months back was associated with CDC-Atlanta as a researcher and is presently serving as US Health Attach to India, said US based research institutions became involved in the Avian Influenza virus since the case was reported in Thailand and is presenting attempting to complement the efforts being made to arrest the same.

His present visit to Pakistan, he said was to assess support the US government could extend in terms of diagnostic facilities adding in the same breath that Pakistan was fairly well equipped with reagents but it always help to have some other reagents specially for H5 type and N sub-types.

Diagnostic technique of any new virus can get complicated so have come to offer any required support, the US-HHH Representative for South Asia said adding that though it would be pre-mature to comment about transmissibility of viruses, however, it would be worthwhile to trace contributors that triggered avian influenza (Type H7 and H9) among Pakistani poultry.

Data currently available in Pakistan, he said suggests that no population other than layer chicken were effected and not even broiler was inflicted. Whether they were protected owing to any biological factor or hormonal cause needs to be assessed, he observed adding that research is being undertaken and scientists would come forward with actual factor.

Answering a question regarding isolation of varied types of the influenza virus typical to birds and animals in Pakistan, he said there are always logistic complications and this was also an involving procedure.