KABUL (SW): The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) has banned the inter-provincial transportation of chickens following the outbreak of the influenza virus.
Jahangir Miakhail, director at the MAIL, has told Salam Watandar that a number of positive cases have been detected in poultry farms in Kabul’s Darul Aman, Badam Bagh, Bagrami and Company areas. He said the main reason behind the outbreak of the virus is the transportation of chickens from the southern parts of the country to the northern parts.
The highly pathogenic influenza, a virus subtype H5N1, is an emerging avian influenza virus that is causing global concern as a potential pandemic threat. It is often referred to simply as "bird flu" or "avian influenza", even though it is only one of many subtypes. People who do not regularly come into contact with birds are not at high risk for contracting avian influenza. Those at high risk include poultry farm workers, animal control workers, wildlife biologists, and ornithologists who handle live birds.
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