BOTSWANA: Pandemic Preparedness

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BOTSWANA READY TO COMBAT BIRD FLU
By Thato Chwaane, Staff Writer (Mmegi)
July 7, 2006

The national multi-sectoral task-force co-chair, Dr Micus Chimbombi says that the group still meets regularly to get up to date information on the current global status of the avian influenza commonly known as bird flu. The task force consists of government health and agriculture departments.

He says there is also a technical team that does general surveillance. Theirs looks at issues such as the policy direction government can take, he added. He says Botswana would be ready to handle any outbreak of influenza, just as they have currently placed an importation ban against all poultry eggs and other unprocessed products from South Africa. "We are on alert. The situation is under control," he says. Chimbombi says that the H5N2 strain is not the worst, and not as bad as the pathogenic type of H5N1. The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain has caused large-scale poultry deaths in the Far East, Europe and Northern Africa. News sources have revealed that a Western Cape farm has been placed under quarantine and all 60 of its ostriches culled in a bid to contain a South African outbreak of avian influenza. According to WHO, Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide.

Source: www.mmegi.bw/2006/July/Monday10/833690527961.html

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BOTSWANA - Pandemic Preparedness

BOTSWANA PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC OF ZIMBABWE'S FUTURE
August 29, 2006 (Xinhua)

Botswana is optimistic about Zimbabwe's future as a breadbasket of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and beyond, despite current hurdles imposed by droughts and sanctions, said Botswana President Festus Mogae on Monday.

Mogae made the remarks while officially opening the 2006 Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare Monday afternoon. He arrived here on Sunday for a two-day official visit to Zimbabwe.

With the eventual removal of the setbacks resulting from the agrarian reforms which were a necessary development in the history of Zimbabwe and full utilization of the land, Zimbabwean agriculture is set to soar to greater heights, Mogae said.

He said as neighbors and members of SADC and the African Union, Zimbabwe and Botswana are like members of a family, compelled to work together for the betterment of the people and generations to come.

In the area of trade, he said Zimbabwe remains Botswana's second largest regional trading partner after South Africa and that in recent years trade between the two countries has been growing for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

He said over 50 companies registered in Botswana have significant Zimbabwean shareholding, thereby promoting cross border investment between Zimbabwe and Botswana through joint ventures.

A new bilateral treaty on the reciprocal promotion of investments between the two countries is expected to come to fruition soon, said Mogae.

Mogae highlighted other areas of cooperation between the two countries such as food security jointly with Namibia and Zambia, the area of control of transboundary animal diseases, high pathogenic notificable avian influenza control and the harmonization of seed standards and regulations to facilitate movement of improved seed within SADC.

The Botswana leader paid tribute to President Robert Mugabe for his unwavering contribution and commitment to peace and solidarity in the SADC region citing the Zimbabwe defense forces' contributions to peace in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa.

He said exhibitions such as the Harare agricultural show are ample opportunities for the region to market its products, attract investment and strengthen trade within and amongst the countries.

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