In his weekly radio broadcast to the nation Café com o Presidente, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared this Monday, April 10. that Brazil is doing everything it can to avoid bird flu.
He pointed out that the business community, and the ministries of Health and Agriculture are taking measures to halt the entrance of the disease.
According to Lula, if the disease does affect poultry in Brazil, the government is prepared to deal with the problem.
"We can produce the necessary vaccines, we have strengthened our control in ports and airports. We are not standing by waiting for this to arrive and then take action. We are ready right now," said the president.
Last week the president made a point of eating some chicken in public during a visit to the Brazilian Farm Research Corporation (Embrapa).
"There is no need to be afraid of eating chicken," said the president. "Sometimes people are alarmed about something they do not have the correct information about," said Lula.
This week, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture will begin distributing a 44-page pamphlet with information on bird flu. The focus will be on measures adopted by federal, state and municipal officials – in partnership with the private sector – to deal with the problem.
The pamphlet will be distributed to everyone in the poultry production chain. It will tell farmers what to do if the presence of bird flu is suspected.
Spokespersons at the ministry say the pamphlet will also be used in educational campaigns to make the public aware of the disease.
Agência Brasil