FAO/OIE International Scientific Conference on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds Rome, May 30-31, 2006

Over two days, more than 300 veterinarians, virologists and conservationists from around the world debated issues such as migratory bird flyways, poultry farming systems and global trade, and concluded that the answer to the cycle of avian flu outbreaks lies in a combination of all three. They also agreed that it is crucial to know if wild birds can act as permanent reservoirs of HPAI.

It was argued that only a concerted global effort to monitor the situation will help throw light on much of the mystery still surrounding the reasons for the appearance of the disease in some locations and not in others. It was further recognised that wild birds play a role, albeit unclear, and therefore must share some of the responsibility for the current concern surrounding outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), but participants were united in their conviction that the key to controlling the disease lies above all at the level of poultry.

In order to learn more about the issues behind the debate and the positions adopted by experts from many different fields, this web site now offers readers a rich collection of abstracts and presentations from the conference and will shortly be able to provide a complete collection of the full text position papers presented by speakers. To view these documents, please use the navigation tabs on the left.

Recommendations from the FAO & OIE International Scientific Conference on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds can be found here.