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| Sunday, 8 February 2004 |
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Avian flu: Emergency plans in place by Carol Aloysius The Health Ministry has put into immediate effect an Emergency Plan covering several areas connected with the import of poultry, poultry feed, equipment and other items relating to the poultry industry to ensure that Sri Lanka remains an 'Avian Flu Free' country. "So far, we have not had a single case of avian flu and we want to keep it that way. Hence, we have introduced several measures under the two Animal Diseases Acts to make sure the disease does not enter this country," Dr S.K.R. Amarasekera, Director General, Department of Animal Production and Health told the Sunday Observer. To begin with, he said, the Health Ministry had banned the importation of poultry from Asian countries and of pet birds from any country in the world, with immediate effect. "From now on, no one will be able to import livestock or poultry, without a permit issued by me," Dr Amarasekera said. In addition to banning the importation of poultry from Asian countries, the Department has also limited the importation of animal feed ingredients from all Asian countries except India. "Feed ingredients from India will be allowed after fumigation," he said. Additionally, poultry owners will be allowed to bring poultry equipment such as waterers and feeding equipment into the country only after they have been thoroughly disinfected, he added. The Katunayake airport has been alerted about these emergency plans and officials manning the airport have been asked to prevent all poultry products from Asian countries from entering the island through the airport. To ensure the disease does not enter the country, the Department has gone one step further and requested all those who have visited poultry farms abroad to report themselves to the Animal Quarantine Desk on their arrival in Sri Lanka. Asked how the Department would handle the situation if the avian flu entered the country, Dr Amarasekera said that several desk teams had been readied for just such a crisis. "We have already conducted awareness programmes for our technical officers at the Department. Any poultry farm displaying the first signs of an outbreak will be put out of bounds and strictly segregated. All infected birds will be culled in such an event," he said. The Sunday Observer learns that a committee comprising medical officers as well as officers of the Department of Animal Production and Health, chaired by Dr Amarasekera, has been set up to closely monitor the situation and review it every week. A news release, listing out the emergency plans, is expected to be issued shortly. Meanwhile Dr S.D. Eleperuma, Chief Veterinary Surgeon has allayed public fears of the possibility of an outbreak of the avian flu in local poultry farms. "None of our farms has imported poultry and no one can now import any poultry under the present regulations without a permit," he said. He also laid to rest fears of infected chicken being sold in the markets. "I can only speak for the CMC markets where only local birds are sold. Even in the case of private markets, it is highly unlikely that the birds sold have been imported as no import permits are being given". Asked how safe it was to eat chicken due to the avian flu scare, he said that as far as he knew, no diseased chicken could get into the chicken stalls at public markets and that chicken was therefore quite safe for consumption. He also laid to rest fears that hormone injected chickens, which could be injurious to health, were being sold in some markets. "We have no hormone injected broilers in this country," he stressed. He explained that the reason why broilers are ready for slaughter in a shorter time than earlier was because of the improved hybrid of broilers in the country. Although it used to take about 63 to 65 days for a broiler to gain the slaughtering weight (i.e. 1 kg 800 grams), it now takes only 41 to 42 days," he said. Despite the fact that no case of avian flu has been reported in Sri Lanka, health authorities emphasised the fact that a high alert had gone to all departments in the Health Ministry, and especially those connected with poultry farming, to closely monitor the situation, and inform the authorities should poultry show symptoms of the avian flu. |
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