New Delhi: Alarmed by reports of the spread of bird-flu in South-East Asia, including neighbouring Pakistan, the Government today (Jan 27, 2004) decided to set up an expert committee to prevent its outbreak in the country, Health Ministry sources said.

"The Government is setting up an expert committee comprising officials from the Department of Health and the Institute of Communicable Diseases to prevent any possible danger. The virus has killed about two million chickens in Pakistan recently," they said.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Ministry officials said all possible extension services in the poultry farms particularly those on the Indo-Pak border have been initiated to ensure that the deadly disease does not spill over.

The expert committee, apart from taking preventive measures to keep the virus at bay, would strengthen the surveillance system in the country, they said.

So far, no case of bird-flu either in chicken or human have been reported in the country, they said adding the Centre has asked the State Governments and veterinary experts to be alert and report in case of virus suspect.

The experts, however, are looking into the different strains of the bird-flu in order to tackle the situation if the need arise, sources said.

On the strain, which killed about two million chickens in Pakistan, they said, "It is a less virulent mutated virus which, so far, has not affected humans. The virus which has been reported from Vietnam and Thailand is different."