The top veterinary officials of four West African countries are to join forces to battle the possible spread of avian influenza in the region. Closing a two-day ground-breaking meeting June 5 in Ghana, the chief veterinary officers of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo issued a statement calling for better communication and information exchange among countries of the region to control outbreaks of avian influenza.
The four countries will set up a standing committee of the national Directors of Veterinary Services which will meet regularly to exchange disease surveillance intelligence and draw up a policy on the movement of poultry and poultry products within the region.
The committee will also streamline control measures in the four countries, and enhance the capacity of bodies such as the armed forces, customs and excise authorities, police forces and national disaster agencies to participate in avian influenza crisis management and control activities.
The cross-border meeting, the first of its kind in Africa to look for common solutions to the potential threat of the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus across national borders, was hosted by the Ghanaian government with support from the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
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June 13, 2007
Four West African countries join forces to fight bird flu
Categories capacity building, disease, poultry, West Africa
