May 29, 2006

Scientists to meet in Rome May 30-31 for bird flu conference

Some 300 scientists and animal experts will gather in Rome for two-day conference aimed at examining the role of wild birds in spreading the deadly strain of bird flu, a UN agency said Thursday (May 25).

The May 30-31 conference is organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, based in Rome, and by the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The experts will come from some 100 countries, the FAO said.

The key issue will be the role of wild birds, as opposed to domestic poultry, in spreading the virus.

According to Joseph Domenech, FAO's chief veterinary officer, the main problem is that it's not known for sure whether wild birds can act as long-term carriers of highly pathogenic forms of bird flu, such as the H5N1.

"Where they are not reservoirs but only victims of contamination from poultry, then prevention has to remain at the domestic bird level," he said. "But where they are, we have to find out which birds are involved and where they migrate to in order to prevent other wild birds and poultry being infected."

Also on the agenda of conference is surveillance, risk analysis and disease management, FAO said.