Officials in Pakistan on Sunday confirmed the second outbreak of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain at a poultry farm near the capital Islamabad.

"During the on-going surveillance for Avian Influenza, a suspect outbreak was reported at a small poultry farm in Sihala, some 25 kilometers from Islamabad on April 14," Livestock and Animal Husbandry Commissioner Dr. Muhammad Afzal said.

"Clinically the disease was suggested as Avian Influenza," Afzal said.

He said immediately after the report that samples were taken for test while the whole flock of 3,500 layer pullets was destroyed with the cooperation of the owner, the Pakistan Poultry Association and government agencies as a precaution to curtail any chances of its further spread.

Afzal said that following the laboratory test reports showing the presence of Avian Influenza H5NI, the surveillance zone of 3 km around the infected farm had been declared in which all farms are being sampled for monitoring.

Avian Influenza is primarily a poultry disease and as per guidelines issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), the public is assured that cooked poultry meat and eggs are safe for consumption and there should not be any undue concern in this regard, he added.

The commissioner said: "We urge all poultry farmers to increase the level of bio-security at their farms and immediately report any abnormal or high mortality to local veterinarian or district livestock/poultry development officer for immediate diagnosis."

Late last month, the World Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza at Weybridge, England confirmed the presence of avian influenza H5NI virus at two farms in Charsada and Abbotabad in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

These two farms were quarantined and all birds at these farms were culled with cooperation of the poultry farmers and the Pakistan Poultry Association.

Since then no incidence of bird flu was reported from any part of the country.

Source: Xinhua