Avian influenza viruses types H7N2, H9N2, H5N1 have been infecting poultry in Pakistan during the 1990s, 2000, and 2006 causing loss worth millions of dollars. These infections resulted in killing millions of birds, causing very economical losses to the poultry farmers, and H5N1 caused health harassment to public at large as most of the consumers lost their interest in purchasing chicken meat and eggs during the initial stages of infections. The H5N1 infection was also confirmed in one veterinarian in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw province who contracted the diseases while working with poultry farm and later died due to this deadly infection. The National Reference Laboratory for Poultry Diseases at Islamabad confirmed over 90 outbreaks due to H5N1 HPAI, over 206 outbreaks due to H7N2 and thousands due H9N2 viruses during the period from 2006-2008 in various areas of Pakistan. Keeping in view the gravity of situation and to combat the AI outbreaks a National Program on the control and prevention of Avian influenza (NPCPAI) was implemented by the Government of Pakistan which emphasized on the following factors:

1. Awareness of poultry farmers, consumers, veterinarians, and public at large on AI and its control measures
2. Increased surveillance, reporting, and diagnostic facilities in laboratories managed by provinces and central Governments
3. To strengthen the AI control; measures like culling of infected flocks for outbreak containment, farm biosecurity, ring vaccination, hygiene practices of farm workers, disinfection of farm premises programs, transport, disposal of dead birds etc., were implemented.
4. To effectively monitor the poultry flocks and to motivate the flock owners; compensation for the culling of infected flock was offered
5. Awareness lectures on AI were delivered at various schools and universities

 Efforts to implement above mentioned programs helped in controlling outbreaks of Avian influenza due to H7N2 and H5N1 viruses. However, sporadic outbreaks of AI due to H9N2 are still being reported. The NRLPD at NARC is continuing its work on Avian influenza surveillance at national level and has made hundreds of isolation of H9N2 virus type in recent years.