The Ugandan government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee to ensure that the east African country is adequately prepared to meet the challenges of bird flu, which is already in west Africa, according to a report from Uganda Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday.

The decision was made on Friday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi while meeting the National Task Force on Bird Flu, which is chaired by Sam Okware, acting director of health services.

The meeting was also attended by development partners, Poultry Association of Uganda among other stakeholders.

The Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee will be chaired by Mondo Kagonyera, Minister for General Deputies of the Office of the Prime Minister.

The meeting was called to review the bird flu status in the world and the potential danger to Uganda to both poultry industry and human beings.

The task force informed the meeting that there is no case of bird flu in the country.

The Ugandan government has also imposed a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products and surveillance for bird flu has been strengthened for domestic birds, wild and migratory birds as well as humans.

Meanwhile, the nation is intensifying public education and information on bird flu and the public is requested to be on the look out for any suspicious dead birds and report to authorities concerned.

Source: Xinhua