The Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Juan Jose Bahilloheld a meeting on Tuesday with the Minister of Security, Hannibal Fernandezand authorities from sanitary, scientific and security organizations to analyze prevention measures and epidemiological surveillance to prevent the entry of avian influenza in Argentina, after an outbreak of the disease was detected in Bolivia.
During the meeting, Bahillo thanked the Security Minister for calling to work jointly with health agencies and security forces, and stated that “this is a sensitive issue for our productive sector.”
“Here we are together with Senasa and INTA who already have a state of situation and We are carrying out actions to work on all fronts in prevention measures“, he added.
For his part, the Vice President of Senasa, Rodolfo Acerbiexpressed that “it is essential to work on early detection and early warning, through rapid notification of any bird mortality and for this it is essential to work together and add the efforts of the private sector, where biosecurity measures are very important, and of the community, that can notify in case of any suspicion”.
In this sense, he indicated that “a team from our agency traveled to Salta and Jujuy to strengthen work on the northern border“.
Among the measures adopted by the authorities of the national health agency, as part of the actions promoted within the framework of the preventive alert in force in the country, are the mobilization of specialized agents from its National Directorate of Animal Health and from other regions, towards the offices located on the border with Bolivia in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy.
Also, “continue to raise awareness -through direct information to the population and the productive sector- about the importance of reporting the finding of birds with symptoms and dead (whether they are production, backyard or wild), reinforce biosecurity on commercial farms , and continue to work together with other public entities in the surveillance and control of the movement of birds, products and by-products of birds”.
In addition to Bahillo and Fernández, authorities from INTA, National Gendarmerie (GNA), Airport Security Police (PSA), representatives from Customs, Immigration and the Ministry of Health participated in the meeting.