Joseph Domenech Quotes (41 Quotes)

The close proximity between people and animals and insufficient surveillance and disease control capability in eastern African countries create an ideal breeding ground for the virus,

In 2004 we said it will be an international crisis if we don't stop it in Asia, and this is exactly what is happening two years later.

In Africa in general, the veterinary services are understaffed and under-budgeted.

The countries urgently need international assistance to build up basic surveillance and control systems.

The risk of Africa getting bird flu is very high.

The animal health infrastructure in the country is facing a big challenge and will require outside assistance.

With the recent multiplication of outbreaks in China they have now decided on countrywide vaccination, but at this point we cannot say if such a massive program is either possible or advisable, ... China can do it.

It's a very worrisome situation because it's in a big country with a lot of poultry farms. It has good conditions to have several outbreaks.

the cycle of bird flu infection that will occur in poultry this winter will not be stopped.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus poses a very serious threat to animal health in West Africa.

The close coordination of control activities and the need for a central chain of command at the level of the federal Chief Veterinary Officer and between the regional states are crucial.

Wild birds seem to be one of the main avian influenza carriers, but more research is urgently needed to fully understand their role in spreading the virus,

Today there are far more questions than answers.

The need to keep domestic birds away from wild birds has been widely recognized and efforts to do so have been implemented in many countries.

The fears are very high because many African countries are not in a very good position to respond to this kind of crisis, ... If there is no more support for veterinary services in Africa, then we may face a very, very severe problem.

It makes sense to stockpile antiviral drugs to protect humans against a potential avian influenza pandemic, but at the same time we have to contain the virus at source, in animals, to reduce the risk to people,

In the wild, controlling the disease is even harder. There is no possibility to stamp out outbreaks among wild birds, ... You don't want to kill wildlife and you can't kill 100 per cent anyway.

FAO is concerned that poor countries in southeast Europe, where wild birds from Asia mingle with others from northern Europe, may lack the capacity to detect and deal with outbreaks of bird flu,

This is a very worrying situation, and the risk from wild birds is a very difficult questions,

It's easy to understand the point of view of the Netherlands, since they lost 50 percent of their poultry population in 2003. But do we have to promote this for all countries At this point, we are not sure.

It remains unclear if the outbreak has been triggered by migratory birds or by the trade and movement of poultry or poultry products.

Given that it is a highly contagious disease, we were sure it could spread from one region to another, either through wildlife or through trade and movements of products. So this happened and we are not surprised at all.

The movement and trade of poultry have strongly contributed to the further spread of the virus.

Birds play a role in the primary infection of the country, but then after that there's no need for wildlife. It will spread very easily from one village to another through trade,

In Africa, the capacity to respond will not be enough.

Compensating farmers for the loss of their animals is another important tool to encourage early reporting of outbreaks and for effective application of control measures. Without financial incentives, people will probably continue to hide outbreaks and sell infected poultry.

One of our major concerns is now the potential spread of avian influenza through migratory birds to northern and eastern Africa.

The control of avian disease is the best way to control a pandemic,

Pure stamping out will not control the epidemic.

Every time there is a specific festival, which has a consequence of movement, it is a period where the spread of pathogens is higher.

Considering the possible widespread entrenchment of the disease in poultry, FAO is advising the government to prepare for a targeted vaccination campaign.

The countries concerned and the international community have to make every effort to ensure that bird flu does not become endemic in Africa.

Control and reaction measures must be taken and we will be present to assist, with of course the support of donor countries, because their aid is indispensable.

We've recently started to become more worried about transmission in the wild, particularly after the big outbreak among migratory birds in Qinghai,

The priority to prevent the pandemic still stands on Asia, but besides that, if the virus is coming in Africa, yes, it's a very big worry for us.

In a way we are not surprised, since we had expected a possible expansion of the disease through wildlife.

There is ample evidence that the Nigerian bird flu situation is difficult and worrisome.

We should provide incentives to poor African farmers to report immediately if they suspect an outbreak among poultry, and discourage them from rushing to sell birds on the market.

We are very much worried and surprised since we thought Turkey had the capacity to respond.

There is still a window of opportunity for substantially reducing the risk of a human pandemic evolving from H5N1 by controlling the virus at its source, in animals,

The Middle East and northern African countries should be able to build up a line of defense against avian influenza. FAO is more concerned about the situation in eastern Africa, where veterinary services, due to various constraints, should have more difficulties to run efficient bird flu campaigns based on slaughtering infected animals and vaccination,