Sri Lanka has suspended meat imports and doubled monitoring on wild birds to protect the island against bird flu, a World Health Organization (WHO) warned of an epidemic, an official said here on Tuesday. Thousands of wild birds migrate to Sri Lanka on a yearly basis and officials are worried that they could be carrying bird flu into the country, said Animal Production and Health Department Director Dr. W.K. de Silva. \"We have doubled the number of samples that we collect from wild birds, particularly those that migrate to certain wetlands in Sri Lanka. The department has also suspended meat imports from countries where bird flu incidents have been reported. We will intensify the checks until the WHO warning is lifted,\" he added. Suspension of meat imports proved successful during a previous outbreak of the disease. Two respiratory viruses in different parts of the world have captured the attention of global health officials -- a novel coronavirus in the Middle East. Last week, the SARS-like coronavirus spread to France, where one patient who probably caught the disease in Dubai infected his hospital roommate. Officials are now trying to track down everyone who went on a tour group holiday to Dubai with the first patient as well as all contacts of the second patient. Since it was first spotted last year, the new coronavirus has infected 34 people, killing 18 of them. Nearly all had some connection to the Middle East. WHO, however, said there is no reason to think the virus is restricted to the Middle East and has advised health officials worldwide to closely monitor any unusual respiratory cases.
GMT 14:01 2018 Thursday ,30 August
Expat with rare heart disorder gets life-saving surgeryGMT 00:18 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Boy with 10-pound tumour on face diesGMT 21:23 2018 Monday ,22 January
All set for first global medical tourism conference in DubaiGMT 22:46 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Second face transplant for FrenchmanGMT 07:51 2018 Saturday ,20 January
Trio aquitted of negligence in Canada railway disasterGMT 10:57 2018 Thursday ,18 January
Breastfeeding for 6 months cuts diabetes risk in half: studyGMT 16:10 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Child mummy in Italy had hepatitis, not smallpoxGMT 18:36 2018 Tuesday ,16 January
Greece strikes cause transport chaos, healthcare delays

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor