#13,035
Today's report from the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture (MEWA) adds 5 more outbreaks of H5N8, updates ongoing containment activities at previously announced sites, and even discusses the interuption of a bird smuggling operation between Jeddah and Medina.
A machine translation of today's statement follows:
Registration (5) new cases of bird flu (H5N8)
18/04/1439
The ministry, in cooperation with relevant authorities, has been working to contain the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8). The number of new confirmed cases of bird flu among birds during the last 24 hours in the Kingdom was 5, one in Al-Ahsa governorate and one in Dawadmi, And two in the suburbs of Riyadh. All of these recorded injuries were found in traditional breeding grounds, except for one case in a poultry production project in Al-Kharj governorate.
In addition, two epidemiological surveys, one in Buraidah and the other in the province of Bakiriya, have also been shown in traditional breeding grounds, and the emergency plan has been implemented immediately after the confirmed cases.
On the ground, the veterinary teams in Darmaa governorate continued the safe disposal of a poultry production project in the vicinity of a 10 km radius of the project and the application of epidemiological surveillance procedures to surrounding areas.
While the field teams in the provinces of Al-Kharj, Huraila, Al-Ahrama, Al-Ahsa, Buraydah, Al-Bukairiya and Al-Dawadmi continue the safe disposal of infected birds in a number of traditional breeding grounds in the vicinity of the areas where the infection was detected and declared, and complete the emergency plan at those sites.
On the side of laboratory diagnosis, the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Riyadh received 2449 samples to be tested for this disease, all of which were completed. The samples were collected on the basis of citizens' reports and epidemiological procedures in the vicinity of infected and non-infected areas. Kingdom is different.
In order to implement the procedures of banning the movement of poultry between the regions except with the permission of the Ministry, the field veterinary teams in cooperation with the security forces destroyed a bird shipment of (640) birds were smuggled from Jeddah to Medina, in addition to the dispatch of live poultry outside the Riyadh area to the region Mecca will be penalized violators of the ban with a fine of up to one million rials and imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years and the suspension or cancellation of the license for productive projects as stated in Articles (51, 52) of the Regulations of the livestock system issued by Royal Decree No. M / 13 And the date of 10/3/1424 e .
The Ministry indicated that it is continuing to receive reports of the disease and to respond to queries related to it through toll free telephone number 8002470000 24 hours a day. The number of complaints received during the last twenty-four hours was 20, The number of inquiries about the disease reached (44) inquiries, bringing the total number of inquiries and inquiries (1031) and inquiry since the beginning of the discovery of the disease.
- In the veterinary awareness and guidance sector, the Ministry continues its efforts to raise awareness of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) in markets and communities in all regions of the Kingdom.
