Pakistan has a new outbreak

A fresh outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, a year after thousands of chickens were culled to contain the disease, news reports said Wednesday.

Forty birds at a poultry farm in Islamabad's twin city died of the H5N1 strain or were killed while infected, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

Pakistan's first recorded cases of bird flu were found in February 2006 in the North-West Frontier Province, prompting authorities to cull 40,000 chickens.

The prevention measures reportedly cost poultry farmers and related industries almost 200 million dollars.

Experts fear the disease could mutate and infect the human population, causing a global pandemic that would wipe out hundreds of millions of people.

According to latest figures released by the World Health Organization, the H5N1 strain has claimed the lives of 163 people, mainly in Asian countries.

© 2007 DPA