By Raphael Tenthani
Lilongwe, Malawi - Agriculture scientists from 19 African countries gathered Monday to discuss how vulnerable countries should prepare themselves for a possible deadly bird flu outbreak.
Mazlan Jusoh, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation country representative for Malawi, said although most countries in Africa were still free of bird flu there was an urgent need to increase surveillance and early detection.
"In Malawi, as is the case in many African countries, inadequate medical, veterinary and laboratory services, limited animal and human health education and the high levels of poverty make more people vulnerable," he said.
'African nations urged to step up public awareness campaigns' He urged African nations to step up public awareness campaigns and put in place rapid response measure to reduce the impact of an outbreak.
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The five-day conference has attracted veterinary, wildlife and agriculture scientists from English-speaking countries including Nigeria, which is one of five African countries to have confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.
The other four affected countries in Africa are Niger, Cameroon, Egypt and Burkina Faso.
The World Health Organisation has reported 190 human cases of bird flu worldwide - 107 of them fatal - and the strain has forced the slaughter of 200 million birds as the disease has spread from Asia to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Organisers of the meeting in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, said the objective was to train participants to recognise the disease in domestic and wild birds and assess the impact the disease could have on their countries.
Late last year, thousands of migratory birds mysteriously dropped dead in Ntchisi Hills in central Malawi prompting fears of a possible outbreak. But tests in a South African laboratory proved negative.
Even so, the alarm hurt the poultry industry here with most importers cancelling orders.
The FAO's Jusoh said because most African countries have only limited health resources, their populations will be highly vulnerable. - Sapa-AP
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