Caspian Business News,
3, August 2007
By Gulnara Akhundova

Communication is key to preventing avian influenza in the world, according co Dr. Faig Mamedzadeh, Deputy Director for the Republican Anti-Plague Station.

He stated, "We know that avian influenza could be at the point of becoming the first pandemic of the 21st century, with profound consequences for the entire world. However, il is necessary to deepen the analysis of that threat, to dispel its myths, and to provide the population with accurate information on the disease."

Now that the second avian influenza outbreak has been successfully suppressed in the South Caucasus, key players gathered for two days to share the ir expertise and discuss what can and should be done to tackle the recurrent threat of avian influenza.

The Regional South Caucasus Avian Influenza Communication conference, in which Dr. Mamedzadeh participated, was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, and was jointly organized by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), UN1CEF and the World Bank. The conference brought together sixty regional specialists and policymakers to address problems related to avian influenza in the region, with particular emphasis on avian influenza-related communication. Azerbaijan was represented at the conference by a large group of the country's government officials and public health experts.

Specifically, fifteen officials' from Azerbaijani Ministries of Health, Emergency Situations, Agriculture, Education and Ecology, as well as eight experts from international agencies -working in Azerbaijan participated in the conference.

Dr. Mamedzadeh brought to the forum his on-the-ground experience in Azerbaijan, where an awareness campaign has been implemented, with promising results. "Through response measures jointly coordinated by the government and international agencies, we contained the danger of avian flu in Azerbaijan" he said.

According to Dr. Mamedzadeh, Azerbaijan has made great strides in avian flu prevention in comparison to other countries in the region "Compared to our neighbors, we have achieved remarkable, progress in avian influenza prevention, thanks to the support of development agencies such as USAID, the World Bank and UNICEF", he noted. Dr. Mamedzadeh also said there are numerous positive lessons that it can share with its neighbors.

Another delegate from Azerbaijan, Emm Shakhbazov, Deputy Head of the Veterinary Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that it was imperative to come up with a strategy that would work. "Our capacity to respond at the regional level should be strengthened. The conference was very successful as it helped to define crucial issues in avian influenza commun ication" Shakhbazov noted.

The conference also allowed participants to develop recommendations and guidelines for effective avian influenza communication in the South Caucasus. These recommendations will be introduced shortly to the governments of the respective countries. Both Shakhbazov and Mamedzadeh believe Azerbaijan is well-prepared to fight the disease as the government and the development community has been collaborating extensively to achieve the highest results.

"Avian influenza prevention is a high priority for our state. Extensive collaboration with international agencies such as USAID, the World Bank and UN agencies has played a big role in both avian influenza prevention and veterinary services development. Today the epizootic situation is under control in Azerbaijan" Shakhbazov stated at the conference.

Mamedzadeh added: "I cannot say that avian influenza will never arrive again in Azerbaijan. None of the countries in the world is secure from the possibility of an avian influenza outbreak. But I am confident Azerbaijan is ready to fight the disease".