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Laboratory workshop bolsters Caribbean bird flu fight

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  • Laboratory workshop bolsters Caribbean bird flu fight

    Laboratory workshop bolsters Caribbean bird flu fight



    Saturday July 07 2007

    Antigua & Barbuda has joined the other countries of the Caribbean in efforts to prevent the potential spread of avian influenza in the region.

    This effort received a boost with the completion of a recent workshop in basic diagnostic techniques for veterinarians and laboratory technicians, held in the Dominican Republic from June 11th to 15th.

    This workshop forms part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation?s (FAO) Technical Co-operation Programme ?Emergency assistance for the early detection and prevention of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Caribbean.? It acts as a complement to other workshops already held in the region. Additional support was provided by PAHO, USDA and Ministry of Agriculture in the Dominican Republic, who hosted the week?s activities at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Santo Domingo.

    Participants honed their laboratory techniques under the watchful eyes of expert instructors from Mexico, Chile and the USA. These sessions were designed to strengthen their skills in the isolation and identification of the H5N1 virus which causes avian influenza. It is expected that this training will lead to rapid and more accurate testing of samples as well as the creation of a cadre of highly trained veterinary personnel in each country, strengthening the territories? capacity to conduct a wider programme of surveillance.

    Since 2003, avian influenza outbreaks have led to the culling of over three million birds and the deaths of 191 people, mainly in Asia and the Middle East. With the poultry industry in the Caribbean region generating US$460 million annually and accounting for over 80 per cent of all meat consumed, keeping the region free of avian influenza is of paramount importance.
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