# 1276
Thus far, tests on 474 people who worked in the culling of infected birds have tested negative. Prophylactic Tamiflu is apparently being provided.
This from arabnews.com.
Shoura Calls for Quick Steps to Contain Bird Flu
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 21 November 2007 — The Shoura Council has urged the health and agriculture ministries to take quick measures to eradicate bird flu in the Kingdom and keep the public updated about the deadly virus.
During a meeting in Riyadh, many Shoura members called upon the ministers of health and agriculture to explain to the public the reason for the bird flu outbreak in the Riyadh region.
Al-Watan Arabic daily carried photographs of an Agriculture Ministry team in masks and white coats in the Aziziya market south of Riyadh, saying bird flu cases had been found there. It was not clear what strain of the bird flu virus had been detected.
Saudi authorities have taken all measures to contain the outbreak just a few weeks before the arrival of more than two million pilgrims for Haj.
The Ministry of Agriculture last week culled 50,000 birds at a poultry farm in Al-Kharj, 150 km south of Riyadh, after 1,500 birds died of unspecified causes.
Officials said this week 220,000 birds have been culled so far, as teams combed other areas near the capital, which has a population of around four million.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani said it has large stocks of Tamiflu anti-flu tablets in case the virus spreads to humans.
In a statement yesterday, the Health Ministry said medical tests conducted on 474 workers dealing with affected birds were negative, adding that the workers have been given preventive medicine.
“Bird flu has not yet affected any person in the Kingdom,” the ministry said, adding that the disease would not be transmitted from one person to another.
However, the ministry said avian flu could spread to humans through affected birds in limited cases as a result of direct contacts. Since the discovery of the disease in 2003, only 335 persons have been affected throughout the world.
The ministry called upon the public not to have direct contact with live birds and said chicken and eggs should be cooked properly before eating to avoid infection.
There are more than 340 licensed poultry farms across the country and they produce nearly 480 million birds annually. Total investment in the industry is estimated at more than SR40 billion.
