28 January 2004
It is to be noted that the UAE does not import chicken or any poultry product from any of the South-Eastern of Far Eastern countries where the bird flu outbreak has been reported.
Pakistan was the recent addition to the list of Asian countries where a bird flu has ravaged the poultry farms.
The decision of the GSM came in wake of an urgent meeting held by the secretariat on Tuesday, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The officials concerned discussed the outbreak of the flu in the Asian countries and examined the causes of the epidemic.
Preventive measures to avoid the emergence of any infection within the UAE were also discussed at the meeting according to Jassim Darwish, Secretary General of the GSM. He pointed out that the disease does not transmit or pass on to humans.
"The meeting made a number of recommendations, mainly to suspend the import of all kinds of live birds, including eggs, other poultry items, consumable eggs, frozen or chilled," he said.
"The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries together with the UAE municipalities according to their respective jurisdiction will co-ordinate to intensify control procedures and preventive measures adopted here in this regard," he added.
Mr Darwish explained that the authorities will take the necessary actions to monitor and investigate in order to detect early any suspected case in any kind of poultry within the UAE or those entering through any port.
"The committee, which comprises of representatives from all municipalities as well as some ministries, will track down any suspected case and adopt the necessary measure without delay," Mr Darwish added.
Dr Mahmoud Fikree, Assistant Under-Secretary of Ministry of Health for Preventive Medicine Affairs, Obaid bin Essa Ahmed, Assistant Secretary General of Municipalities, and others also attended the meeting.
