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Govt forms bird flu taskforce
2006-03-31 10:38:16
By Bilham Kimati, Dodoma
The government has formed a multisectoral national taskforce to give technical advice on ways and means of preventing bird flu from spreading into the country.
The taskforce will ensure effective implementation of the ’National Influenza, Emergency Preparedness and Response Strategic Plan 2006 through 2009.’
The Deputy Minister for Livestock Development, Dr Charles Mlingwa, told parliament that preventive measures to prevent the avian flu scare are in top gear.
He was responding to a question by Mwadini Abba Jecha (Wete, CCM) who wanted to know how the government was prepared for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, HPAT-H5N1 in case of an outbreak.
’It is true that bird flu, the disease caused by H5N1 virus, spreads rapidly across continents. At present 38 countries have recorded cases according to international animal health reports,’ Mlingwa said.
Among the measures being taken by the government, the deputy minister said, samples of migratory birds from various entry points have been collected for laboratory analysis.
He said so far 1,142 samples of wild birds and 210 of chicken have been collected for analysis.
None of the samples has shown positive signs of the virus.
”Bird flu has no cure and the government has taken necessary precautions to prevent the disease from causing havoc in the country.
He said the government had set aside 800m/- for any bird flu emergency.
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