Iran slaughters 25 million chickens amid bird flu fears

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Iran slaughtered 25 million chickens after the recent appearance of bird flu cases in the country, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on Feb. 12. 

Speaking to ILNA, Nasir Nebipur, head of the Tehran Chicken and Egg Association, said a whopping 40 percent of the nation’s poultry had been slaughtered due to bird flu fears. 

Nebipur said the massive slaughter had led to a dramatic decrease in the egg production, leading in turn to skyrocketing egg prices. 

In order to meet the public demand for eggs, Iran is now importing 50 trucks of eggs from Turkey each week, the news agency reported. 

Also known as H5N1, the bird flu - which has caused 454 deaths worldwide since 2003 - can be transmitted to local poultry stocks through migratory birds, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Humans can become infected by the virus by eating infected poultry.