Ethiopia prepares for bird flu

2005-10-27 12:33

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia said on Thursday it has established a task force to pre-empt the outbreak of bird flu. It will ban the import of poultry products and watch against the migration of possibly infected birds from Europe and the Middle East through the Ethiopian Rift Valley during the winter season.

The task force, from various concerned government agencies, would work to put in place urgency measures to help prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus fatal to human beings, the ministry of agriculture and rural development said in a statement.

It said measures already taken included a ban on import and transfer of poultry and poultry products from countries known to have already been affected by avian flu, and upgrading laboratories in the country to undertake identification of the disease.

Panic

The ministry said the public should not panic. But it urged people to take precautions in swampy areas, lakes, rivers and ponds along the Rift Valley area of northeastern Ethiopia where migratory birds from some European countries are expected to arrive shortly via the Middle East.

Government agencies, agricultural development agents and the public in the rural areas were also called upon to immediately notify the task force if they thought the disease has struck anywhere in the country.

- SAPA