EghtesadOnline: Abundant rainfall in Iran this year has increased the risk of the deadly avian flu outbreak in chicken farms, says the head of Iran Veterinary Organization, Alireza Rafieipour.

EghtesadOnline: Iran has been declared purged of any type of avian flu by Iran Veterinary Organization, citing the official confirmation of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

EghtesadOnline: Following last year’s outbreak of the deadly avian flu virus across Iranian chicken farms, which led to the culling of more than 27 million chickens and inflicted losses worth more than half a billion dollars in, Iran Veterinary Organization has taken important steps to help reduce the virus’s destructive effects this year.

EghtesadOnline: No cases of human infection with the H5N6 strain of avian flu have been reported in Iran yet, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, the director-general for communicable diseases at the Health Ministry announced.

EghtesadOnline: Some 100 million egg-laying hens have been infected with the deadly avian flu in Iran and so far 1.20 trillion rials ($27.75 million) have been paid to chicken farmers over their losses, the deputy head at the Agricultural Crops Insurance Fund said.

EghtesadOnline: Major egg producing Iranian provinces, namely Qazvin, Tehran, Alborz and East Azarbaijan, are dealing with an outbreak of avian flu , which has led to the culling of 16 million chicken and a rise in egg prices, the chairman of the board of directors at Tehran’s Union of Producers of Egg-Laying Chicken said.

EghtesadOnline: Iranian poultry farms have been dealing with the deadly avian flu , especially the H5N8 strain of the virus, for several years now. The virus has done a number on Iran’s poultry industry.