Innocent Gahigana & Gertrude Majambere
18 September 2006
Kigali — Veterinarians from eleven African countries are undergoing a one-week training session on how to fight the spread of Bird Flu (Avian influenza) in the region. Officiating at the function, the Minister of Agriculture Anastase Murekezi noted that the workshop would equip the participants with skills to enable them to specifically deal with the looming outbreak of influenza in Africa.
"You are aware that the pandemic has struck several parts of Africa, posing a threat to livestock in the region," the minister told participants at the Novotel Hotel.
He added: "The seminar is expected to produce strong partners in risk analysis on the pandemic on contamination, spread, impact and measures towards protecting the public health."
So far, there are no reported cases of the Flu in Rwanda but Murekezi said the situation should not be taken for granted.
"Yes, we're currently free from Avian flu, but we need to keep a vigilant eye for the possibility of an outbreak," he explained.
He urged people to report any suspicious symptoms of the disease to the Rwanda Animal Resource Development Authority (RARDA) for laboratory confirmation.
The seminar that was organised by Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) among the issues focused on sharing different country experiences regarding the control of the disease and techniques of sampling wild birds.
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