Director of veterinary services in the ministry, Dr Osbil Watson, said animal disease surveillance, laboratory diagnoses, and farmer education and public awareness programmes, which have been ongoing over the past several months, have increased as the ministry moves to put preventative measures in place against the virus, which has surfaced in some 20 countries globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Watson, who was speaking at a private-sector disaster contingency influenza A forum organised by the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) at Jamaica House on May 5, said that the Veterinary Services Division has been monitoring the health status of Jamaica's livestock for an extended period.
He said that the agriculture and health ministries, ODPEM, among other stakeholders, collaborated to implement several programmes to ensure that a system is in place to safeguard the nation's animal and public health.
importation of animals
The ministry is also monitoring the importation of animals and by-products, particularly in light of recent reports of the infection of a herd of pigs on a farm in Alberta, Canada, with influenza A, allegedly by an individual who returned to that country after a visit to Mexico.
"Just about 220 of those animals actually had flu-like symptoms and they tested positive for the H1N1 strain. It has been reported that all of those animals recovered, and the farm is under quarantine, pending further investigations," he said.
Watson said that no other report of an outbreak among pigs or any other animal has surfaced. He said there is no evidence to suggest that the virus is transmittable among animals, adding that the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organisation have assured that it is not spread through pork products.
Watson urged Jamaicans to implement preventative measures to safeguard themselves and their property. Chief among these is restricting travel to countries where influenza A has been reported or diminishing contact with persons who have travelled to those areas for a period of at least seven days.