New equipment bought to fight potential bird flu outbreaks

The National Veterinary Diagnosis Center received two trucks endowed with modern disinfection equipment to be used in case of infectious diseases, including bird flu; two other similar trucks will be given to the regional veterinary diagnosis labs in the towns of Cahul and Drochia, Info-Prim Neo reports. The equipment, valued at €120,000, was bought as part of the Animal Health Component of the World Bank-funded “Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response” Project. “The equipment operates at high pressure, enabling fast disinfection of the contaminated areas”, said Nicolae Grati, the Center's director, at a ceremony held on Friday to present the new equipment. The disinfection truck looks much like a fire engine, having a 1.5 tonne container for disinfectant liquid, a pump, and a rolled hose. The pump has the capacity to deliver from 10 to 30 liters per minute and cover areas from 500 to 2,500 square meters. According to the Animal Health Component coordinator, Eugen Voinitchi, the national veterinary service hasn't had any equipment of this kind until present. “In case of suspicions of bird flu, the veterinary service will be the first to intervene”, said Eugen Voinitchi. “No case of bird flu has been reported in Moldova so far. However, the risk remains high, bearing in mind the geographical position of the country and the situation in the region – both our neighbors, Ukraine and Romania, saw a number of avian influenza foci in the last three years”, said Vsevolod Stamati, the head of the Agriculture Ministry's veterinary medicine division. The Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project for Moldova is part of the World Bank's Global Program for Avian Influenza and Human Pandemic. The goal of the project is to minimize the threat posed to humans by avian influenza and other infectious diseases that originate in animals by strengthening response capacities to outbreaks.