UAE bans Indian poultry imports over Bird Flu

Dubai, July 31: The United Arab Emirates banned the import of all live birds and poultry products from India after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus, the official WAM news agency reported.

Environment and Water Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Kindi has issued the ban yesterday to prevent the spread of the deadly virus to animals or humans in the Gulf Arab country, it said.

India confirmed on Thursday an outbreak of bird flu in poultry in the remote northeast was the H5N1 strain. The outbreak was the first reported in the populous Asian nation in a year.

No data were immediately available on the size of the UAE's poultry imports from India.

The H5N1 virus has spread into the Middle East, Africa and Europe since it re-emerged in Asia in 2003. More than 30 countries have reported bird flu outbreaks in the past year, mostly in wild birds.

Globally, H5N1 has killed nearly 200 people out of more than 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.

Reuters>