November 8, 2005

Saudi Arabia sends 3 dead chickens for bird flu tests
 

Saudi Arabian authorities have sent chickens that died on a farm in the kingdom southwest to be tested for bird flu, a newspaper reported Monday.

Veterinarians believe the birds died from cold weather and not the virus, said Saeed bin Misfir al-Kahtani, an Agriculture Ministry director the town of Sarat Ubaida near the border with Yemen, according to the daily al-Riyadh.

"Poultry samples were sent to labs for testing as a precaution," the newspaper quoted al-Kahtani as saying. It was unknown when the birds died or where they were taken for testing.

Farm owner Abdullah Mohammed al-Rahalah told authorities that many of his chickens coughed, collapsed and died during a recent three-day period, the newspaper reported. Al-Rahalah and his family underwent medical checks and his farm was sprayed with disinfectant.

Saudi officials were not immediately available for comment.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has devastated poultry stocks and killed around 61 people in Asia. The disease has spread to birds in Europe, and migratory birds blamed for introducing it to Turkey are headed across the Middle East into Africa.

Last month, the FAO warned of the increased risk that bird flu could spread along the pathways of migratory birds to Middle East and African countries poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak.

Saudi Arabia, like most Middle Eastern countries, is stockpiling vaccine and medication, banning poultry and live bird imports, and going on high alert to combat the disease.