06/19/06
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven announced the training of 24 scientists from 19 countries on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The workshop is scheduled for June 19-23 at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. It is the third in a series of train-the-trainers workshops on HPAI testing and diagnostics.
"This is just one example of how we are working to prevent or slow the spread of high pathogencity avian influenza," says DeHaven. "The goal is to assist senior-level veterinarians and poultry disease experts from countries that either have discovered HPAI, or are at high risk for the disease. When they return to their countries, they are better equipped to train their colleagues in lab procedures and protocols."
The 24 participants come from countries that have requested USDA technical assistance in HPAI testing and diagnostics. Countries participating include Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, Sudan, Taiwan, Uganda, and Uruguay.
The workshops are a joint effort of Iowa State University and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service.
