JEDDAH, 26 October 2005 — Saudi Arabia yesterday imposed a temporary ban on the import of live birds and eggs from Turkey, Romania and Iran as part of precautionary measures to keep bird flu out of the country.
Muhammad Al-Sheiha, deputy agriculture minister for animal resources, said the action was taken on the basis of World Health Organization reports, which confirmed that the deadly strain of H5NI avian flu had appeared in Turkey and Romania.
“The ban on bird imports from Iran was based on a WHO report of Oct. 14 following the deaths of large numbers of ducks which were affected by an unknown disease in the country,” the official said.
Scores of migrating birds have been dying in northwest Iran but Iranian state veterinary officials yesterday ruled out the presence of bird flu in the country although the cause of the deaths has not been determined.
The Gulf region is at risk from the threat of bird flu, a Bahraini official warned Monday, following an emergency meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh which drew up joint strategies to combat the deadly virus.
Individual GCC states have adopted measures to prevent the spread of avian flu, including banning the import of birds, poultry and their products from countries in Asia and Europe where cases are known to exist.
On Sunday, Dr. Yaaqub Al-Mazroue, assistant deputy health minister for preventive medicine, said the Kingdom had taken all precautions to prevent the outbreak of bird flu in the country and had allocated SR25 million for the purchase of anti-viral drugs.
“The agency for preventive medicine has developed a comprehensive plan to deal with the problem,” Mazroue said, adding that the ministry’s labs and blood banks have taken measures to ensure quick detection of avian flu cases.
Experts fear the H5N1 virus, which has killed more than 60 people and caused the deaths of millions of birds in Asia since 2003, could mutate and spread to humans, creating a pandemic that would kill millions of people. Fears of a bird flu outbreak this year have forced Saudi officials to take extra precautions ahead of a large influx of pilgrims from around the world for Haj.
