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Lahore still bird-flu free

LAHORE: Lahoris should not worry about the bird flu, because not a single case has been reported in the city so far, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) officials told Daily Times on Sunday. “Due to the bird flu threats, a number of citizens are visiting the UVAS along with their pet animals.” UVAS Diagnostic Laboratories director Prof Dr Masood Rabbani said, “We have tested a number of animals and birds in our labs but did not find a single bird flu case so far. The people can eat well-cooked chicken and eggs.” He said an avian flu virus could become more easily transmissible in humans, so the people working at poultry farms should take precautionary measures. “Once they come to know about an infected bird or animal, it should be separated from the others.” Dr Waseem Shaukat, a UVAS teacher, said, “Lahoris should not eat tika kebab, because it is not well-cooked.” Zafar, a citizen, said he had a variety of pet animals at home and he was worried about them. The media should play its role in educating the people about the disease.Pakistan Budgerigar Society general secretary Naveed Ijaz said it was so tragic that thousands of birds had been killed in the name of bird flu. “Birds and animals cannot transmit the avian influenza virus to human beings.” An information centre has been set up in the city to deal with the bird flu threat.

Measures: People should be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, people involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products. Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose. Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus. adnan lodhi

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