KARACHI, Feb 5: Poultry farms in the Gadap Town area of Karachi need to be more careful about bio-security issues, particularly in the wake of the recent outbreak of avian influenza (AI) at two farms in the area, officials and poultry farmers have said.

Interviews of the quarters concerned in the government and poultry industry indicate that though during the last few years avian influenza has been haunting farmers across the globe, it has now crept into the farms of Pakistan; hence, it was high time that extra vigilance and bio-security measures at all the farms across the country were adopted.

Officials, including the Director Poultry of the Sindh Government, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, have been saying that since the bird flu virus prevailed in the environment of Gadap, there are chances of its further spread if adequate preventive measures are not taken by the government, poultry officers, surveillance teams and poultry farmers.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Poultry Association, Maroof Siddiqui, said that there were no further reports about the death of birds in extraordinary numbers from any other farms in Gadap or other areas of the city, but the situation demanded that farmers ensure more bio-security measures, try to isolate their farms, and discourage unnecessary movement of birds and people in their farms and their surroundings.

He said that the shifting of farms from Gadap could be a solution to avert the spread of the 1bird flu virus, but farmers would not support the idea as it was not economically viable for them or for the consumers of Karachi.

He was questioned about the prevailing impression that both the Uni and Rangers’ poultry farms had acquired hatchlings from the same hatchery, which could be the reason that the AI virus infected those two farms only.

“I am not a scientist, but on the basis of my long experience as a farmer, in addition to my professional experience at a hatchery, I can say that no such evidence involving the hatchery as a source of contamination or infection has been reported so far,” he said.

Mr Siddiqui claimed that farmers ensure the routine vaccination of their birds. “The vaccinations cost from Rs3 to Rs4 per broiler bird, Rs30-32 per layer bird and Rs60 to 70 per breeding bird. As such, it is not believable that a person having a big investment in the poultry sector would skip the vaccine courses and put the health of their birds at risk,” he said.

Dr Aslam Jalali, Provincial Surveillance Officer for AI and a Research Officer (Poultry Production and Research) of the Sindh Livestock Department, also ruled out the possibility of any vertical transmission of the AI virus in hatchlings at the hatchery.

He maintained that hens infected with AI would lay infection-free eggs and the chickens from such eggs would necessarily be free from AI.

“However,” he remarked, “it might be that the AI infection at the Rangers’ farm and the private farm in Gadap was the result of low bio-security measures. Crows, pigeons, parrots or any other wild birds mostly likely had somehow contacted the chickens in the farms in question and transmitted the deadly virus among them,” he added.

At present, there is no law enforcing bio-security on poultry farms in Sindh. Despite the fact that the virus is in the surroundings, action cannot be taken against negligent farmers as there is no official policy or law, said officials.

Cutting corners?

One poultry officer said that under the system that has prevailed so far, farmers do not even like to be forced to spray disinfectants twice a day in the bird sheds or use gloves and masks while working with poultry, whereas things had been left to the farm owners or their associations.

“A system of registration of poultry farms compulsorily can help streamline the affairs of the poultry industry,” the officer added, saying that bio-security measures pertained to covering feed and water as well as burying birds and not visiting infected farms.

The owners of the private poultry farm which has been sealed after the detection of bird the flu virus there, said that there was a great amount of viral pollution in the area and there was a need to make consolidated efforts and identify the problems in a timely manner to avert any massive destruction of birds.

They said that black kites, crows and other wild birds had been swooping down upon the Gadap area for the last few days, but nobody took cognizance of the threats they posed, as there was a high chance of the AI virus coming into the borders of Pakistan and Sindh through migratory birds.

“We had adopted all security measures and had administered all the relevant vaccines to the birds in due time,” they said in reply to a question.

Risk to humans

Taking the maintenance of farms as a serious issue, Dr Aslam Pervez of the City District Government said that the authorities were concerned about the possibility of the spread of avian flu as in the long run -- if not checked -- it would become impossible to prevent the transmission of the virus from birds to humans.

Speaking from Islamabad, Dr Aslam said that so far, no reports had been made about the human to human transfer of the bird flu virus. He said the virus was preventable only with the help of vaccinations, and it was the duty of farm owners to properly vaccinate their birds.

A basic advice document for farmers on AI prepared by international agencies says that avian flu can enter a farm when new poultry is introduced there. AI can also enter a farm through infected droppings brought in from the outside by shoes, dirty cages and wheels of bicycles and cars and other transportation modes.

“Avian flu can be transmitted between different species like from poultry to cats and dogs, while ducks can become infected with AI without showing any symptoms and then transmit it to chickens. Poultry, which are sick or have died as a result of AI, can be very dangerous for humans and their family and community,” the document adds.