SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdish Ministry of Agriculture said on Saturday that no cases of avian flu had been detected in the Kurdistan Region, after Iraq confirmed an outbreak of the flu which killed thousands of birds in the country.
Spokesman of Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture Hamid Nabif said in a statement on Friday that the virus had killed thousands of birds in a short period of time and that the ministry had taken “all kinds of measures” to contain it.
Governor of Saladin Amar Jabir said laboratory test results had shown that the virus was spread in one of the chicken farms in the province.
“The laboratory tests have proved that the virus which has spread in one of the chicken farms in Samara and caused the death of tens of thousands of chickens was the bird flu,” Jabir added.
Speaking to Esta Media Network on Saturday, spokesman of the Kurdistan Region’s agriculture ministry Hussein Hama Karim said no cases of the virus had been detected in the Region.
Hama Karim warned of the transmission of the avian flu to the Kurdistan Region, saying authorities need to take measures to prevent its spread.
“The measures could include imposing a ban on imports of birds from Iraqi provinces, restricting travel for Iraqis visiting the Region from central and southern provinces, and guidelines for chicken farms,” the official noted.
The Directorate of Veterinary in Sulaimani also confirmed that no cases of the bird flu had been recorded in the Region, but warned that the virus “is spread fast”.
