UN Agencies Fight Avian Influenza outbreak in Azerbaijan
The WHO reference laboratory in the
“The confirmation from
The source of infection is presently under investigation. It is possible that there was a common source of exposure to domestic or wild birds. In Salyan, for instance, the carcasses of wild swans that died several weeks ago but were not buried may have been collected by residents as a source of feathers. Infection was observed in a specific age and sex group, which suggests a common behaviour as a likely route of contamination.
“It is critical to reduce the risk of exposure to prevent new cases”, says Dr.Pavel Ursu, Head of WHO Country Office in
• Stay way from sick or dead birds, including those acquired from hunters;
• Do not slaughter and defeather sick or dead birds;
• Cook the poultry meat and eggs thoroughly (the meat should not have a pink color and eggs should be cooked for at least 10 minutes);
• Report any sign of sickness or any deaths in birds to the local veterinary service;
• If you suffer from any sign of human influenza-like illness, report to the local health authorities, especially if you had contact with sick or dead birds.
UN agencies in
WHO is working with the Ministry of Health to ensure the necessary capacities to handle human cases. This includes improving surveillance and monitoring for additional cases in affected areas, clinical management and infection control, epidemiological investigation to find the source of infection.
FAO is focusing on strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Dept of Veterinary Services, to handle the outbreak among birds. A proposal to field an FAO team of epidemiologist, lab specialist, communication specialist and graphic designer has been made and agreed with the government.
UNICEF is working closely with government, international organizations and other partners to ensure that families have the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their birds from avian influenza and to be ready to respond to the emergence of a pandemic. UNICEF has developed information materials with the Ministries of Health, Education and Agriculture and is supporting NGO networks to deliver critical life-saving messages. The agency is also coordinating the UN response on behalf of the Resident Coordinator.
WFP will also assist in distributing essential information on AVI prevention to IDPs communities.
For further information please contact:
Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative
Tel: 99412 492 3013
Fax: 99412 492 2468
Christiana Salvi, WHO Technical Officer, Communication and Advocacy
Tel: 99412 498 9888
(Mob.) 99450 5989214
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