The recent Bird Flu-caused deaths in Southeast Asian region have sent a fresh wave of fear at official level in Pakistan and authorities have directed anti virus workers to put their operations on heightened alert across the country. The move came days after the World Health Organisation (WHO)- United Nations subsidiary to prevent such disasters-asked the governments in South Asian region to be extra vigilant against a possible fresh outbreak of the fatal disease.
An official told Business Recorder here the workers deployed in all parts of the country to guide poultry industry in case of Bird Flue attack had been reminded of their duties.
"We have sent them a reminder. We have asked them not to spare any effort and not to leave any stone unturned for the prevention of the disease," the official said. He requested for anonymity.
He disclosed anti Bird Flue teams had been asked to do some extra legwork and improve their liaison with poultry industry to make it able to compete with any sort of situation in case of fresh virus attack.
On Saturday, it was reported that a 35-year-old woman became the latest victim of lethal disease in Vietnam as the virus spread through poultry farms in the country.
Three people died of the similar reason in Bangkok earlier last week. The first ever human-to-human transfusion of the virus has already been reported in November last in Vietnam.
The government dispatched special anti Bird Flu teams to all parts of the country some two-month ago following a WHO warning that migration of wild birds from Siberian to South Asian region with the advent of winter could cause a fresh outbreak of lethal disease, the official said.
Last year, a Bird Flu outbreak in Pakistan caused major losses to poultry industry of the country. It forced a volunteer culling of more than two million chickens in Karachi alone.
No human causality was, however, reported in Pakistan. The government, throughout the crisis, kept on denying the reports of virus outbreak in a desperate attempt to save the industry from losses.
The poultry industry contributes around six to seven percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country's economy. It suffers a major set back when many countries including Japan and China imposed a ban on imports from Pakistan last year.
The official said the government feared that the industry might face a similar situation, if Bird Flu once again attacked chickens in Pakistan with the similar intensity it did last year.
He said the anti virus workers had been asked to pay regular visits to poultry farms and informed the authorities in Islamabad in case they found even a hint of Bird Flu outbreak.
Asked what measures the government was considering to take to prevent virus outbreak, the official said it ranged from vaccination of chickens to affected birds' birds, if situation arose.