The Basra province in southern Iraq is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in bird flu infections, prompting urgent intervention from the country's Minister of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture announced on Saturday the formation of committees chaired by Basra Governor Asaad Al-Aidani to assess the damage and limit the spread of the bird flu virus in the province.
On Sunday, staff at the Basra veterinary educational hospital declared a state of maximum alert to investigate bird flu in markets and fields.
**Significant Losses**
The Agriculture Directorate of the Al-Zubair district in Basra revealed on Saturday that over 350,000 chickens had died in one poultry farm due to bird flu infection. According to local media reports, the director of agriculture in the mentioned district stated that bird flu has also affected other farms within the Safwan region, and investigations are ongoing in the Al-Zubair district's fields. The officials noted that farm owners and supporting entities have buried the infected chickens, which has caused substantial losses for poultry farmers and egg production.
**Governmental Efforts**
On Sunday, Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji arrived in Basra to review the latest developments regarding the outbreak of bird flu in some poultry farms in the province. According to the head of the livestock department in Basra, one poultry farm in Safwan experienced the death of 60,000 chickens, with infections confirmed in one specific field after samples were taken and tested in Baghdad. The dead chickens were buried, and a cordon was set around the burial site with a radius of 7 kilometers.
The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, through its spokesperson, stated they have controlled the spread of bird flu in all provinces except Basra, affirming that efforts are still underway to compile final statistics.
**Cause of the Outbreak**
The spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, Hamid Al-Naif, attributed the spread of the virus in the country to the import of unsuitable Turkish chickens. He mentioned that some poultry farm owners are resorting to smuggling imports from Turkey rather than utilizing local breeding and hatching.
**Proposed Solutions**
On Friday, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Aidani decided to establish a high-level committee to manage the bird flu outbreak in an effort to curb its spread throughout the province. Several other Iraqi provinces have also taken measures to prevent the entry of chickens due to fears of bird flu transmission. Local authorities in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq directed on Saturday to halt the entry of poultry from other provinces, citing the emergence of bird flu in Basra as the reason.
