Bird flu virus detected in Lebanon poultry farm

 Lebanon's Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayeb said here Thursday that "the H5 virus has been detected in one of the poultry farms in Nabi Sheet town of the Bekaa."

He told a press conference that all the hens, chickens and birds will be discarded under the supervision of his ministry to ensure control of the virus.

"We have started taking the necessary measures," he confirmed, adding that the virus has been confined so far in Nabi sheet village.

Director General of the Public Health Ministry, Dr. Walid Ammar, said "chicken in the Lebanese market are fine and nothing is leading to a worse situation in this concern."

He told the National News Agency (NNA) that the epidemic zone was cordoned off to prevent smuggling of the chicken, saying that local health center is well qualified and equipped with the necessary medicines to cure anyone who might be affected.

Later in the day, the Lebanese Union of Poultry hailed in a statement the swift actions by the concerned ministries, the NNA reported.

The union said the concerned ministries are applying in the infected Nabi Sheet border area the requisite preventive measures adopted by the World Organization for Animal Health, indicating that H6N1 virus poses a direct threat to birds and people who are in direct contact with birds, yet not transmitted from one human to another.

It stressed that it shall "carefully" monitor the viability of the applied procedures and will keep the public informed.