Bird flu simulation exercise for St Catherine
STARTING tomorrow, the veterinary division of the Ministry of Agriculture will be conducting a two-day bird flu outbreak simulation exercise in Old Harbour, St Catherine, to test the country’s level of preparedness.
“We will simulate and mimic the introduction of the Avian flu in the island to see how we would cope,” Roger Clarke, minister of agriculture, said yesterday at a meeting for participants in the exercise.
Headley Edwards, director of the veterinary service division, noted that through the World Organisation for Animal Health, the country had an obligation to conduct a simulated exercise every two years.
“We chose avian flu this year,” he said.
He explained that during the two-day test, an area of the parish would be quarantined, and the participating agencies of the National Emergency Animal Disease Committee (NEADCOM) required to perform their designated duties.
NEADCOM – which includes both major broiler companies – the ministries of agriculture and health as well as National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the fire service, military and police was formed by government to monitor preparedness and oversee activities in case of an outbreak of any animal disease in the island.
Clarke told the gathering that the ministry’s intention was to strengthen cooperation between the agencies. “We cannot be complacent; it (bird flu) can come at any time,” Clarke said, adding that the veterinary services division now had the capacity to test 20,000 blood samples from birds and give results within 15 minutes.
Fifty-two countries in Asia and Europe have been affected by the avian flu (bird flu), leaving 200 million birds dead. To protect the local industry, Clarke said that the government had placed a ban on the importation of poultry products from the affected regions.
“If we were to have an outbreak and not be in a position to contain it, you can imagine the outcome,” said Clarke, adding that the poultry industry in Jamaica stood at approximately J$12 billion.
Yesterday, Keith Amiel, president of the Caribbean Poultry Association and marketing manager at Caribbean Broilers, noted that while preparedness was important, the region, including North and south America, had no case or evidence of the H5N1 virus which is responsible for avian flu deaths.
“There have been no reports of the existence of the H5N1 virus in the region,” he said, adding that wild birds, the most likely carrier of the virus, have been tested at random and no case of bird flu has been found.
-fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com