May 19, 2014
SAARC countries urged to mitigate threats from bird flu
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries need to urgently prepare themselves to mitigate the threats and risks from new strains of avian virus, reports The News in Pakistan.
When addressing the "SAARC Regional Training Workshop on Laboratory Diagnosis of Avian Influenza A (H7N9) virus", the country representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Patrick T. Evans, issued the warning.
As a pre-requisite for developing a reliable and efficient diagnostic and surveillance set-up for the new strains, at least one well-equipped national laboratory with trained manpower is needed in each of the SAARC member state.
"FAO is supporting the local poultry industry to meet the challenges of Avian influenza," said Evans.
Pakistan is facing enormous challenges in domestic poultry industry since the emergence of novel H7N9 in China. In an effort to control the spread of the virus and reduce the threats to poultry health and public health, FAO is sharing the information generated from investigations by the Chinese authorities.
Due to its "silent" infection in birds, a major challenge is an early detection and response system to avian influenza. This is why it is essential for all SAARC member states to have a well-equipped national laboratory with trained manpower.