Poultry safe for use, no threat of bird flu outbreak

Poultry meat and eggs are safe for use and there are no threats of bird flu outbreak, said World Poultry Science Association, Pakistan Branch President Dr Mohammad Sadiq in a press conference here on Tuesday.

He said that there was not a single case in the world where a person was reported to have died after touching the affected poultry meat.

"There is no possibility of bird flu outbreak and the prevailing rumours about the spread of disease are only based on incomplete information," he added.

He said WHO reports suggested that the virus of avian influenza could not change its form quickly.

Monitoring centres: He said the government had established 18 monitoring centres throughout the country to check bird flu virus.

Dr Sadiq said a total of 25,000 poultry farms exist in the country with 160 million chickens while around 2.5 million chickens are being sold in the country's markets per day.

He stressed that the affected chickens cannot survive for a long time and it is not possible to bring them into the market.

Giving further details, he said that around Rs 20 billion are invested in the poultry business and about 1.5 million people are associated with this trade.