Aviemore Scotland, 26 – 27 June 2007:

Bird flu experts from 15 countries have been sharing their experiences in the two-day Avian Influenza workshop ‘Practical Lessons Learned’ on how to monitor and contain the deadly H5N1 virus in both wild and domestic bird populations.

The meeting was convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and held by the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds in Aviemore, Scotland, from 26 to 27 June 2007.

During the event, which was co-funded by the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), USAID and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), 36 delegates from different parts of the world heard a series of case studies presented by scientist from Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Indonesia, Korea, Great Britain and Scotland.

Further presentations were held on general topics related to Avian Influenza, inter alia on the activities of the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza, the current situation of countries affected by the virus, on surveillance, early-warning and risk assessment and on how to handle the media in case of an outbreak.

As a major result of the conference the specialists concluded that the incidence of avian flu in the wild bird population apparently has almost disappeared and that the situation is likely to hold for the next couple of months.

During the meeting guidelines on the direct responses and measures to be taken to monitor the possibility of infection to and from wildlife were issued. They should serve as a practical information tool when reacting to future outbreaks. The conclusions of the workshop can be viewed and downloaded here. 

For further information, please contact Francisco Rilla frilla@cms.int or visit our homepage www.aiweb.info.

The leaflet “Avian Influenza and Wild Birds”, which is available in six languages, can be downloaded from   http://www.aiweb.info/document.aspx?DocID=115

Information Material:

Programme

List of Participants

Conclusions