Bolgatanga, June 28, GNA - The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Boniface Gambila, observed on Tuesday that the fear that rocked the poultry industry in Ghana in the wake of the discovery of bird flu in some neighbouring West African countries has waned, and that public confidence in poultry products has begun to grow.

He made the statement during a Press Briefing on bird flu in Bolgatanga under the theme, "You've heard from everyone else...now let's hear from the chicken".

Organized by the National Task Force on Bird Flu in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ghana Sustainable Change Project, The Ghana Health Service and UNICEF, the event was aimed at equipping media practitioners in the Region with adequate information to enable them to sensitise the general public on the fact that there were no reported cases of bird-flu in Ghana.

The Regional Minister attributed the downward trend in the poultry business to alarming information peddled by a cross-section of the media and the society. This, he noted, discouraged many people from eating chicken, thereby affecting the poultry industry negatively. "The collapse of the poultry industry in the country would deal a blow to Government's policy of private enterprise development, and we should not allow this to happen," he said. He, therefore, urged the media to educate Ghanaians about the absence of the bird flu in the country, saying that people should patronize chicken and other poultry products without any fear.

Mr. Gambila indicated, however, that the absence of the flu in Ghana did not mean people should take things for granted, and appealed to restaurant operators, people in the hospitality industry and the general public to cook their chicken and eggs very well before eating. "Science has proved that if cooked up to about 75 degrees Celsius any virus in the meat would be destroyed", he stated.

Mr. Roy Ayariga, Regional Director of MOFA, explained that members of the local Fowl Sellers Association had been sufficiently briefed on the bird-flu situation. "We have warned them sternly against bringing into the country poultry or poultry products from Burkina Faso." Mr Ayariga added that poultry dealers who sent their birds to markets down south had also been directed to first see veterinary officers for examination and clearance documents before embarking on their journey. Those who would violate the regulation risked having their fowls seized and destroyed.

Mr. Edward Adimazoya and Mrs Vivian Nuhu, both members of the National Bird flu Task Force, launched communication materials on the disease, which were later distributed to media representatives at the function. They urged the media to use the information gained at the briefing to sensitise the public adequately on the bird flu situation in the country.

Mr David Dontoh of GTV's "Agoro" fame and his "Kozi-Kozi" Theatre Group thrilled participants with a drama performance on the safety of Ghanaian chicken and chicken products.

Mr. Robert Ajene, a retired educationist and former Principal of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, who chaired the event, noted that preventing bird flu from entering Ghana was the collective responsibility of every member of the public.

He called for patriotism on the part of poultry dealers in the region, urging them to resist the temptation to smuggle birds from neighbouring Burkina Faso into the country for monetary gains. 28 June 06