Re: AZERBAIJAN - Bird flu in Sabirabad?
Previous public information/awareness campaigns:
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="85%"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top">Azerbaijan: Red Crescent takes preventive measures on avian flu<!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" -->25 April 2006<!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="byline" -->by Sabina Mahbubi-Iran in Baku<!-- InstanceEndEditable --></td> </tr> <tr> <td>
</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <!-- begin TEXT CONTENT table --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="story_text" -->The Azerbaijan Health Ministry and Veterinary Service announced the presence of avian influenza virus H5N1 in Azerbaijan in February 2006. The number of affected birds is difficult to estimate.
According to the World Health Organisation, samples were taken from 11 people who might have been infected. Of these, eight tested positive, six of which came from Daikyand, a settlement of some 800 homes in Salyan, in the south-eastern part of the country. Five cases proved fatal, with four of those who died having lived together or near each other.
During meetings between the government and different international agencies, the need to raise awareness through leaflets and posters was emphasised. With bird migration and an avian influenza outbreak expected in April, the population needs to be aware of preventive measures to minimize the risk of infections in humans.
The Azerbaijan Red Crescent has a long-standing plan, which has been in place since December 2005, to combat the threat of avian influenza. A key part of this is training workshops, which aim to give Red Crescent staff and volunteers comprehensive information so that they can raise awareness and undertake preventive measures among local communities in their districts and regions. The training was held in Baku and four regions considered most exposed to the virus.
Other aspects of the plan include conducting surveys to find out the level of awareness of local populations on avian influenza - a poll conducted among 250 people living in Baku, Ganja and Sabirabad revealed that 70 per cent of them have general information about avian influenza ? as well as distributing publicity materials for children and adults, carrying out health promotion campaigns and monitoring and evaluation activities.
Information about avian influenza and preventive measures has been distributed to all Azerbaijan Red Crescent regional centres and local committees. In case of observing bird flu symptoms, the message to the population is to contact state medical structures, the local committee of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society for further assistance. Several websites also carry relevant information, such as the Red Crescent web page (
http://www.redcrescent.az/news29.htm) and a local, popular web-news page, called Azerweb
(
http://www.azerweb.com/ngos/271/events/1097/index.doc).
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More here:
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/06/06042503/
