JEDDAH, 3 April 2007 — The Cooperative Poultry Producers Association is holding tonight a symposium entitled “Bird Flu between Reality and Truth” at Sheikh Ismail Abu Dawood Hall of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
The symposium is being held to inform people about bird flu, which has been detected in the Eastern Province, and aims to discuss the best techniques to avoid the spread of the disease. The event is also being held to assure members of the public that the Kingdom has facilities in place to make the country’s poultry industry one of the best and safest in the world.
Organizers of the event hope to tackle three bird flu issues: the reality of the Kingdom’s poultry industry and its management during a crisis, the role of biotic security at poultry farms and the reality of bird flu.
Jabir Al-Shihri, head of the Agriculture Ministry in the Makkah Region, speaking at an introductory press conference about the symposium, said that the Kingdom is in a good position to tackle the spread of the disease. “A few cases, concerning birds, were detected in the Eastern Province. However, no cases of humans with bird flu have been recorded,” he said.
Also speaking at the press conference was Hussain Bahri, head of the Poultry Producers Association. “We do not want to repeat what happened in Egypt after the media there discussed the bird flu issue negatively causing huge economic losses to the industry there,” he said.
“The first priority in dealing with the issue is to ensure consumers are protected before caring about the producers. We want to work together with the media to face the truth and talk about the issues in a positive way. We need to make people aware of the problem and ensure they are ready to deal with the consequences,” he added.
Bird flu has the same symptoms as normal flu. Dr. Hisham Owais, a vet who works for Radwa Farms, said, “People who raise poultry at homes or farms and have flu symptoms such as sore throats and fever must check with their doctors to make sure they don’t have bird flu.”
He added that the bird flu virus is stronger than normal flu and that is why it is fatal.
