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Monday May 18, 2009
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has offered 200,000 US dollars (over 200m/-) to Tanzania for preparedness of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has affected 60 countries globally, including eleven in Africa. The virus has already claimed 256 lives so far. The support will cater for training of veterinarians and purchasing equipment for early detection of the avian influenza, which is also known as bird flu and is highly contagious, according to Dr Honest Ndanu, co-ordinator of the training programme.
The bird flu is a virus that infects wild birds such as ducks, gulls and shorebirds and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Speaking at the end of a ten-day training for veterinarians and livestock experts from Northern and Lake Zones here over the weekend , Dr Ndanu said that the objective of the programme was to sensitize people—both in urban and rural areas on the bird flu.
“The veterinarians and livestock experts are expected to enlighten people on the bird flu and educate them on how to contain it in the event of an outbreak,” he said, adding that thus far, Tanzania was still safe from the flu. The Arusha Regional Livestock Advisor, Hargeney Chitukuro, said Sudan and Djibouti have been affected by the bird flu, adding:” we must be on the alert and take precautions.” He said that 80 per cent of households in Tanzania own a total of 50 million chickens, of which 27 million are local breeds raised in extensive free range system.
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