BAHA Receives Donation from OIRSA to Strengthen Disease Detection and Response

The Animal Health Department of the Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA) received a donation of laptops and printing materials this week, from the International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA). The donation forms a part of a larger project valued at thirty thousand US dollars, to strengthen BAHA’s ability to detect diseases and respond to outbreaks. OIRSA has also ordered seven thousand US dollars’ worth of laboratory testing reagents and secured another five thousand five hundred US dollars for reagents through the Central American Integration System (SICA). OIRSA issued a statement following the donation, noting that it is preparing to launch a public awareness campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture informing farmers of the deadly disease and symptoms observed on their poultry. The statement read quote “The OIRSA in coordination with BAHA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise are working hand in hand to strengthen the diagnostic capacity of BAHA and informing the public to be on the lookout for this exotic disease that threatens our vibrant poultry industry,” end of quote. OIRSa has also approved funds at the regional level for its member countries to prepare and monitor for diseases in wild birds as well as backyard and commercial poultry farms.///