Al-Arhabi confirms precautions necessity to combat Bird Flu threat

SANA'A, March.4 (Saba) - Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi confirmed here on Wednesday the
necessity of strengthening the precautions for combating threat of
Bird Flu in Yemen.

Upon opening a workshop on placing the national unified plan for
protection from Bird Flu held in Sana'a, al-Arhabi said that the
plan and the executive program will work on achieving the expected
goals through the serious work of concerned authorities in the
government, organizations, people, and development partners.

The workshop organized by Ministry of General Health and Population
and Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with World Bank and
participation of 40 participants from the governmental bodies and
international organizations , dealt with the developments of Bird
Flu epidemic in a number of East-Mediterranean countries.

Undersecretary of Health Ministry Dr. Majed al-Jonaid pointed out
the ministry has placed an integrated plan for combating different
prospects representing in raising the readiness, protection and
control for the pre-epidemic period.

For his part, Undersecretary of Agriculture Ministry Mohammed
al-Ghashm assured that Yemen is free of Bird Flu disease and the
ministry performs the constant epidemiological surveillance at the
level of farm and village through field teams and according to the
allowed potentials.

Country Director of World Bank -Yemen Area reviewed the bank's
activities in field of providing financial support to help in
organizing the activities and preparing the national plan's studies
for confronting the epidemic, expressing the bank's keenness on
cooperating with Yemen for executing different phase of the plan.