Media Orientation Training Notes. Three Day Workshop - AI.Comm

The H5N1 virus has met the first two criteria, but it has not yetefficiently and sustainably infected humans. The risk that the H5N1virus will acquire this ability remains as long as there areopportunities for human infection; however, control measures thatare being undertaken worldwide continue to minimize these risks.It is important to note that a pandemic can be averted. That is whyso much attention by governments and the health professionals isbeing placed on how to prevent and control the virus. The firstpriority is to reduce opportunities for human exposure to infectedor potentially-infected poultry.Before we conclude this session, I’d like to quickly touch on theeconomic impact of avian influenza. According to the World Bank,so far, the costs incurred have been mostly related to the death ofpoultry from the disease itself, the culling of poultry to stem itsspread, and the costs to governments of containing the epidemicin terms of equipment, materials, transport and personnel.In Nigeria, for example, about 700,000 birds were culled in 2006.One of Nigeria's bigger poultry farmers and a former president ofthe Nigerian Red Cross said the cost of the bird flu to the economycould be as steep as 50bn naira ($381m). Some 40 millionNigerians depend on the sector working as poultry farmers, grainsuppliers, transporters, cage and poultry equipmentmanufacturers, engineers, veterinarians and egg retailers.The United Nations Food and Agricultural Association estimatesthat backyard poultry farmers keep 60 percent of Nigeria's 140million poultry. Some experts on bird flu are increasingly worriedthat Nigeria risks becoming a permanent host to the virus.During major Christian – Easter and Christmas - and Muslimfestivities such as the Haj and Eid, the risk of bird flu is even moreacute because these are the periods people want to have chickenon their tables and they will do it all cost.Now that you have had an overview of the various issues involvedin avian influenza, I’d like to open the workshop up to questions.Note to trainer:Allow time for questions and additional discussion, and takeadvantage of the animal and human health experts present to helpanswer questions.AI.COMM: Media Orientation Training Notes 25