EGYPT: Government launches anti-bird flu training program
CAIRO, 12 April (IRIN) - The government launched a training program this week to prepare professionals and volunteers involved in combating the spread of the potentially pathogenic H5N1 avian virus.
“Faced with a deepening crisis, the government has launched a new program to train personnel dealing with bird flu,” said health ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine. “Those partaking in the training will be instructed on culling techniques, what special clothing to wear during mass fowl culling and how to raise awareness in the most affected areas.”
Some 3,200 volunteers and government workers in four of the most affected provinces will take part in training, Shahine said. “Among those being trained are veterinarians, policemen and agriculture ministry workers,” he said, adding that additional training sessions in other areas would follow.
The program is intended to prevent further human and poultry infections after some critics blamed previous cases on a lack of adequate implementation of prevention measures. “While our plans and recommendations were excellent from the very start of the crisis, there was, in some areas, a lack of coordination and unevenness in implementation,” Shahine said. He cited cases of farmers carrying out mass poultry culling without wearing the necessary protective clothing. “We’re going to make sure none of that happens anymore.”