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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

No bird-flu in Serbia

Belgrade, 31 October 2005

Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said today that there is no bird-fly in Serbia, stressing the fact that veterinary teams are performing checks on a daily basis.

From left: Mila Vucic-Jankovic, Tomica Milosavljevic and Predrag Kon

Speaking at a press conference, Milosavljevic said that the authorities have provided timely notifications to the public about bird-flu preventive measures, reiterating that there is no bird-flu in Serbia.

According to Milosavljevic, veterinary teams are constantly in the field, cooperating and performing check-ups, because preparation for and prevention of the disease’s spread is of prime importance at this moment, in case it appears in the country.

The minister explained that it is essential that teams be prepared to recognise a possible bird-flu case, and stop the spread of the disease from migratory birds to domestic poultry.

Milosavljevic announced that in November there will be a series of meetings with officials of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and relevant ministers from Southeastern Europe, with the aim of exchanging experiences in prevention of avian-flu.

Epidemiologist Mila Vucic-Jankovic, who has just returned from a WHO meeting in Copenhagen, said that at the meeting the conclusion was reached that the situation regarding bird-flu in Europe is not alarming.

According to Vucic-Jankovic, it was stressed at the meeting that, regarding the spread of avian-flu, Europe is in much better position than Asia, where this virus has reached the immunisation stage and where over 3,000 local epidemics have been registered.

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon recalled that the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture’s mobile teams have been formed and are ready to act, adding that that the whole territory of Serbia has been covered, including Vojvodina and Serbian enclaves in Kosovo.

Kon said that special instructions for dealing with the possible occurrence of bird-flu among domestic poultry in Serbia have been made, adding that such a case has not yet been recorded anywhere in Europe.