KARACHI, Feb 22: Reports about an extraordinary number of bird deaths at a poultry farm along the National Highway have once again sparked fears that the bird flu virus may have spread to some more farms in the city.

A good number of broiler birds were destroyed officially at two poultry farms in Gadap in the first week of January 2008, after confirmation that they were infected with the dreaded avian influenza (H5N1) strain.

Previously, it was at the farms located closer to the Super Highway near the Toll Plaza where bird deaths had been reported, while the latest deaths took place at a farm located in Dumlotee near Malir in Gadap Town closer to the National Highway.

The Provincial Coordinator on AI in birds, Dr Aslam Jalali of the Sindh Livestock Department, said on Friday that the surveillance staffers had collected samples from the birds suspected of suffering from some severe diseases for various laboratory tests, including one that was supposed to be conducted at the national reference laboratory on poultry diseases.

Replying to a question, he said that at the Karachi laboratory of the Sindh livestock department, some traces of the Newcastle disease had been found in the samples in question, which, according to him, were taken from a Dumlotee farm on Thursday.

Quoting the farmers, he said 700 to 800 birds of more than five weeks had died at the farm during the last 60 hours and had been disposed of safely.

“I have checked with the Islamabad laboratory to make sure the samples drawn from the Malir farm had been received. The result is likely due on Monday as Saturday and Sunday are holidays there,” he said.

However, other sources privy to the sample testing procedures claimed that some highly dangerous virus had crept into the farm in question and that is why for serious scrutiny samples had now been sent to the national reference laboratory. Around 4,500 broiler birds are still at risk, the source added.

Contrary to information received by the livestock officials, some eyewitness maintained that poultry officials and farmers were not vigilant about the development till Friday evening and as such, improper handling and shifting of birds from the farm in question could not be ruled out.It was learnt that poultry and agriculture staffers of the city district government had also been alerted and had been required to visit the farm on Saturday morning as it could turn into a potential case of AI virus infection.

The Director Poultry of the Sindh Government, Ali Akbar Soomro, said that there was likelihood that the results of the birds’ samples would be received by Saturday evening from Islamabad.

In the meantime, health and poultry experts have suggested that the farmers should ensure isolation of the birds at the suspected farm on a priority basis. On Friday alone, 400 birds died till the evening, while the surroundings were full of a stinking smell.

A source in the Poultry Farmers’ Association confided to Dawn that the latest report of the purported outbreak and sizable number of bird deaths should also be taken up at a meeting of the association on Saturday and decisions would be reached to win the trust of consumers and to intensify the association’s own monitoring system on disease.