The National Committee for Emergency Response to Bird Flu warns holidaymakers to be aware of the items they pack in their bags when returning from trips abroad. With summer time approaching and more people travelling outside the UAE, security checks will be tightened at airports, sea and land borders to make sure the country remains bird flu-free.
“No poultry or any other bird products are allowed into the country,” stressed Dr Maan Ahmed al Hakim, manager of biosecurity at Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi.
“There are no fines or other penalties, but if someone is caught with bird products, we will confiscate them and we are extra careful when passengers arrive from countries where avian influenza cases are reported,” he added.
According to him, the UAE has banned the import of poultry and other bird products from most Asian countries and several African and European ones. “If the H5N1 virus was found in one particular place, we impose the ban to the region, rather than the entire country,” mentioned Al Hakim.