October 31, 2005

 

Sri Lanka indefinitely bans all poultry imports
 

 

Sri Lanka has suspended all imports of poultry, pet birds and feathers amid fears that bird flu could enter the island, the country's health minister said Friday.

 

"It's an indefinite suspension," Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. "We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis."

 

The moves were among several other precautionary measures to avert an outbreak on the South Asian island of 19 million people, he said.

 

Earlier in the week, the government said it had imposed a temporary ban on poultry imports from only countries affected by the bird flu.

 

Sri Lanka produces 6 million kilograms of poultry products a year, almost all for domestic consumption.

 

The government on Thursday said that bird flu could come to Sri Lanka via migratory birds, but assured the public that necessary measures were already in place to avoid such a scenario.

 

De Silva said officials were prepared to tackle any outbreak, adding that health officials were working closely with the WHO.

 

Most human deaths have been linked to contact with sick poultry. But the WHO has warned that the virus could mutate into a form that can easily spread between people, possibly triggering a deadly global pandemic.

 

Although there have been no recorded cases of bird flu in humans or birds in Sri Lanka, he said the government was taking precautions.

 

A committee of top officials from the health, agriculture, livestock and foreign ministries meets on a regular basis to discuss bird flu concerns, he said.

 

If an infection is detected, a three-kilometre quarantine area will be declared and all poultry within that area will be killed, said S. K. R. Amarasekara, the chief of Sri Lanka's Animal Production and Health Department.

 

Sri Lanka annually imports around 500,000 "parent birds", which produce some 80 million others, he said. In addition, more than 500 pet birds are imported each year.

 

Dozens of health workers have been trained to deal with bird flu infections, and the country has imported masks and other protective equipment, he said.

 

Farmers throughout the island have already been educated about the flu and how to diagnose symptoms in their stock, Amarasekara said.

 

"We are taking every precautionary measure," he said.