Ministry of Agriculture: Iraq is free of bird flu

Baghdad - INA

The Veterinary Department, one of the formations of the Ministry of Agriculture, announced today, Saturday, that Iraq is free of highly pathogenic bird flu.

The Director General of the Veterinary Department, Thamer Habib Hamza Al-Khafaji, stated in a statement - received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) - that "based on the directives of the Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr Al-Maliki, and the follow-ups of the Technical Undersecretary of the Ministry, Mithaq Abdul Hussein Obaid, the results of laboratory tests and the role of veterinary hospitals confirmed that Iraq is free of highly pathogenic bird flu."

Al-Khafaji explained that "the results of laboratory tests and the role of veterinary hospitals in preventing the transfer and smuggling of live birds from neighboring countries and from one governorate to another, except after obtaining the necessary approvals, confirmed that the birds were not infected with diseases and that the procedures and precautions taken by the department were safe to preserve livestock and the health of citizens, accompanied by certificates of appreciation from the World Organization for Animal Health for the role of the Veterinary Department in limiting the spread of the disease."

Al-Khafaji called on "breeders and farmers to follow the advice and instructions issued by the department, through hospitals and clinics spread throughout the governorates, in addition to cooperating with the department's staff of veterinarians and veterinary cadres."