The workshop is underway this week at the USDA's National Veterinary Services
Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. It is the third in a series of
train-the-trainers workshops on HPAI testing and diagnostics.
"This
is just one example of how we are working to prevent or slow the spread of high
pathogencity avian influenza,"said DeHaven. "The goal is to assist senior-level
veterinarians and poultry disease experts from countries that either have
discovered HPAI, or are at high risk for the disease. When they return to their
countries, they are better equipped to train their colleagues in lab procedures
and protocols."
The 24 participants come from countries that have
requested USDA technical assistance in HPAI testing and diagnostics. Countries
participating include Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cote d'Ivoire,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Lebanon, Libya,
Mexico, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, Sudan, Taiwan, Uganda, and
Uruguay.
Similar to the previous workshops, training will include
hands-on lab exercises and lectures from USDA experts. The first, held from Feb.
27-March 3, had 25 participants from Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria,
Georgia, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Sri
Lanka and Vietnam. The second, held from May 15-19, had 26 participants from
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Serbia-Montenegro, Singapore
and Sri Lanka.
The workshops are a joint effort of Iowa State
University and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service.