Bird Flu Triggers State of Emergency in Affected Area

Georgian authorities have further stepped up measures to prevent spread of bird flu, as President Saakashvili requested the Parliament on February 26 to impose a state of emergency in the area affected by the H5N1 virus in the Khelvachauri district of the Adjara Autonomous Republic.

The Parliament is expected to approve this proposal at a session on February 28.

Although at the moment there is no evidence of the H5N1 virus in domestic poultry, the government ordered slaughter of domestic poultry after a second case of bird flu was detected in a dead swan in the Khelvachauri district on February 25. Culling of all domestic poultry kept at homes is underway in a 3-km radius of the site of outbreak of avian flu in Adlia village of Khelvachauri district.

The President’s decree on a state of emergency envisages confiscation of live poultry, as well as poultry products in the Khelvachauri district. The decree also orders a ban on hunting of wild birds and confiscation of hunting guns from the local population and restriction of movement, if necessary. According to the presidential decree, the state of emergency will be imposed until October 1, 2006.

The first potential case of bird flu was confirmed in Georgia on February 24. The H5N1 virus was detected in dead swan found on a lake near the village of Adlia. Samples have been sent to London lab, but no response has been received yet.

“We have launched the destroying process of domestic poultry in a 3-kilometer radius in the Khelvachauri district, which includes 11 villages. This is an urgent measure in order to prevent infection of domestic poultry,” Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said on February 25.

He was speaking with reporters in Poti, a town on the Black Sea coast. He said that bird flu was not confirmed among those wild birds which were found dead on the Paliastomi lake near Poti. A close monitoring of this area, which is one of the routes of migratory birds, is underway.
 
Meanwhile, authorities have already banned sale of live poultry throughout Georgia. The Interior Ministry is responsible to oversee this ban on the live poultry trade.
 
Hotlines set up by the Ministry of Healthcare have been jammed with calls since February 24.
 
PM Nogaideli instructed the Ministers of Environment and Agriculture on February 24 to heighten control, especially in those areas which are routes for migratory birds, including the regions of Samegrelo, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kakheti.
 
The PM also instructed the Education Minister to further continue special courses in the schools aimed at informing pupils about the bird flu virus. The Education Ministry launched dissemination of leaflets containing information about the virus in the schools on February 27.

The U.S Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has recently renovated the Central Laboratory for Veterinary Diagnostics and Expertise. The lab, which is the most advanced system in this region, gives Georgia the capability to confirm the presence of diseases such as avian flu, according to the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi.

In addition, on February 15 the United States donated 500 batches of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. These PPE are meant for those people who gather test bird samples.

This donation came after a group of experts from the United States traveled to Georgia to ascertain the country’s state of readiness to deal with an outbreak of avian flu. Among the findings was that Georgia has an immediate need for personal protective equipment. The U.S. is expected to donate an additional 600 batches of PPEs to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, according to the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi.

The Georgian government launched active measures to prevent the arrival of bird flu in January, after an outbreak of bird flu in Turkey, near the Georgian border. Border checkpoints were equipped with disinfectants, protective clothing and special equipment and vehicles entering Georgia underwent disinfection procedures.

“I want to note that our efforts against the arrival of bird flu through border checkpoints were successful,” PM Nogaideli said at a government session on February 24.

“Our immediate goal will be to prevent to the maximum an infection of domestic birds and, of course, people. All our efforts will be directed towards this goal,” PM Nogaideli added.