Health Ministry takes first strike at Bird Flu

Agriculture Minister Jarette Narine signed for the Agriculture Ministry, Health Minister John Rahael for the Health Ministry and Florita Kentish for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at the Agriculture Ministry in St Clair.

Kentish said the scope of the project includes support for laboratory services (capacity building and small equipment), and sharing of information (information technology network links will be established between countries).

While admitting that US$500,000 may not seem like a large sum to share between 15 countries, she said the money was to be primarily used for communication strategies and early detection by looking at the wild, domestic birds and free range species.

“What is hoped is out of this there will be strengthening of further action plans and at the end of the project, development in each of the countries of follow up projects for funding. This is the start up of what will constitute a greater support to the system in terms of surveillance, monitoring and development.”

Kentish said people living in the 15 countries had to be part of the AI response and ready to report since the boundaries between countries were very limited.

She said communication skills training will take place in countries so that information from researchers will be disseminated to keep the public informed since the region did not want a pandemic.

Narine said the “experts” have said the region had 18 months to prepare although the presence of AI can happen before this time.

He said Cabinet has given the ministry one month to develop plans and proposals to deal with AI so budgetary allocations will be made for this year and next year.

Narine said experts at the FAO conference in Rome last year suggested that AI will be introduced into the Americas not by crossing the Atlantic but from the north through the Bearing Straits into Alaska.

“They are suspecting that is where it will come from and, as it starts coming down the Americas, we are very close to Venezuela and we have migratory birds from Venezuela on a daily basis.”

Narine said TT has received reports from North and South America where preparations have been made to contain the spread of the disease from North to South. He said the ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Public Utilities have been collaborating on surveillance of migratory birds.