JEDDAH, 18 November 2007 — Following a recent outbreak of bird flu in the Riyadh region, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has ordered the formation of a committee to tackle the problem and the Ministry of Agriculture has declared a state of emergency in the Makkah region.
“At the orders of the Makkah governor, a committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, the Mayor’s Office, the police and Civil Defense has been set up,” said Jaber Al-Shehri, director of the Ministry of Agriculture’s branch in the region.
“The committee will undertake field inspections and keep a close watch on the region,” Al-Shehri added.
An urgent circular has been sent to all 140 poultry farms in the region to take precautionary measures to protect their poultry from the deadly virus that has been reported in the Riyadh region. Farms have also been asked to ensure poultry does not come into contact with migrant birds, which may carry the disease, and send samples of dead birds at their farms for testing.
“A control room has been set up to receive reports of bird flu in the Makkah region and in order to organize action. No poultry farms in the region have violated the precautionary measures that we have stipulated,” said Al-Shehri, adding that the committee has been given powers to close down farms found to be violating regulations.
On Nov. 15, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it had culled 50,000 birds at a poultry farm in Al-Kharj, 150 km south of Riyadh. Tests were carried out after 1,500 birds died in the farm, which had a total of 50,000 birds. It said no human cases of bird flu had been found and an investigation was taking place to determine the origin of the illness.
The ministry has called upon poultry farmers to strictly implement safety regulations. It called on the public to inform authorities about suspected bird flu cases by contacting 01-403-0911.
