The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) carried out a second simulated outbreak of high pathogenicity bird flu (HPAI) — commonly known as “bird flu” — at an agricultural extension center in Kuru Kururu on Wednesday.
According to the Department for Public Information (DPI), the three-day simulation exercise aims to evaluate national One Health cooperation and Guyana’s preparedness to contain an outbreak of the ‘bird flu’ and other zoonoses.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi, which can spread to humans and cause disease.
Upon completion of the simulated outbreak, GLDA and its partners will identify areas that need improvements in how they respond to an outbreak of HPAI and other zoonoses.
Dr. Randy Storm, Senior Veterinary Officer at the GLDA, explained to the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the second simulated exercise was successful.
“It was a good exercise and we were able to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps and how to better improve our cooperation as the One Health initiative is being promoted by many of the international organizations,” Dr. Storm.