Avian Influenza in the Americas

According to this report, transboundary diseases such as avian influenza (AI) have brought to light the importance of taking coordinated action at the national, regional, hemispheric and global levels; in order to prevent and control avian flu, countries must make their agricultural health and food safety (AHFS) systems more effective.

The report begins with a detailed background of avian influenza including causes, symptoms, epidemiology and socioeconomic impacts of the disease. The report details the current situation of bird flu in the Americas and lists many of the meetings and conferences that have been convened to strategise and plan the prevention and surveillance of avian influenza in the region.

According to the report, the primary objective of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is “to provide a specific, coordinated response to the threat of AI that will involve supporting the countries in their efforts to strengthen their institutional capabilities, and undertaking a number of actions aimed at providing agribusiness operators and opinion makers with information and training related to this disease.” IICA has developed strategies to support countries based on the following points:

• Strengthening of veterinary services;
• Promoting the participation of the poultry sector in the implementation of actions at the national and regional levels; and
• Risk Communication.

The risk communication strategy involves increasing awareness about bird flu from the perspective of animal health. Actions are to be carried out in two basic areas:

1. Creation of awareness among political leaders – by conducting studies on the potential economic impact of the disease to incorporate Ministers into the process.
2. Dissemination of strategic information - by providing transparent and timely information to inspire public confidence in the sector.

According to the report, in order to foster inter-agency collaboration and make maximum use of resources, IICA will:

• Produce ten radio programmes on AI for small- and medium-scale poultry farmers in the hemisphere.
• Produce audiovisual materials on AI to educate and train intended audiences in the countries
• Provide training in AI for journalists and for information officers in the ministries of agriculture, with a view to ensuring that they disseminate accurate and timely information on the impact of the disease.
• Establish teams of experts at the national level. Through its Offices, IICA will support the establishment of teams of experts comprising leaders from different production sectors, scholars, consumers, etc., who, in an eventual emergency, can disseminate accurate and timely information.
• Use its communicational products: ComunIICA online, Infoletter, IICA Connection, Access Bulletin, and Agroenlace radio programme to transmit effective and timely information to agribusiness operators.