GHANA'S AVIAN FLU CONTROL IN LINE WITH WHO ANIMAL HEALTH TERRESTRIAL CODE-DR BISSIW

Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr. Hanna Bissiw says Ghana’s policy on the control of Avian Influenza is in accordance with the World Health Organization for Animal Health Terrestrial code 2012. 

These are the stamping out of infected and in-contact birds, safe disposal of carcasses and in-contact materials and thorough decontamination of the infected premises, using carbon dioxide.   

She said Government recognizes the critical role the poultry industry is contributing as a catalyst for economic transformation. 

Hence the swift and effective containment of the Obuasi Avian Influenza in June last year, using a novel water based foam technology. 

Dr. Bissiw announced this in an address read for her at the second in a series of training workshop on the control of Avian Influenza and other emerging diseases taking place in Kumasi.

The three day training workshop is being organized by the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with the support of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Government.

 It has brought together participants from the Veterinary Services Directorate, National Disaster Management Organization, Ghana National Fire Service, Environmental Health, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Health Service and private veterinarians in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. 

The workshop aims to provide Avian Influenza response teams with practical tools to address the outbreak of the disease in Ghana that directly affects the poultry industry and threaten public health. 

Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr. Hanna Bissiw was happy about the composition of the multi-sectorial stakeholders who will be trained to handle containment of future Avian Influenza and other emerging diseases.

 She said resources for such operation can be easily harnessed from the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies for cost-effective control of all outbreaks in the country. 

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Government Representative in charge of Central and West Africa region, Dr. Cynthia Duerr said just around the time that Ghana experienced the outbreak of the Avian Influenza last year, the US was also battling with the disease. 

She said the US Government spent 120 million Dollars to control the spread of the disease and commended the Government of Ghana for securing 11 thousand Ghana Cedis internally and logistics from development partners to control the spread of the Avian Influenza outbreaks and also protect the poultry industry and public health. 

The Deputy Director of the Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr. Augustus Ayitey described the Ghana-US technical cooperation to effectively deal with Avian Influenza as timely, as the disease has caused considerable damage to Ghana’s poultry industry, especially in the Greater Accra region where the greatest number of 30 outbreaks occurred last year.