With Nigeria as the only sub-Saharan African country affected by
avian influenza, including the loss of one human life to the virus,
IOM has this week begun a series of activities in the west African
country aimed at strengthening prevention efforts there.

An awareness campaign among bird sellers and mobile populations
has got underway to inform these groups how the disease can spread
by moving infected chickens and how to protect themselves. 
This is mainly done through on the ground, face-to face contact
with bird sellers and mobile populations together with partners
from key government ministries.

The campaign is part of an effort to include bird sellers,
mobile populations and migrants in Nigeria who were initially
excluded from a national avian influenza plan but whose role in any
epidemic outbreak in the country could be critical.

The campaign follows a workshop earlier in the week hosted by
IOM and organized in collaboration with Nigeria's Avian and
Pandemic Influenza Prevention and Control Centre on mainstreaming
the country's migrant populations in a national avian influenza
response.

Attended by representatives from the Nigerian government, the
World Bank, Nigeria's Poultry Association, the United Nations
including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the
Japanese embassy in Abuja, the meeting resulted in recommendations
on including migrant needs in a national response and a commitment
from IOM to support the Nigerian government on this.

IOM efforts on avian influenza in Nigeria are part of its global
programme to counter the spread of avian influenza by targeting
migrant and mobile populations, funded by the Japanese
government.

For further information, please contact:

Chinwe Okaro

IOM Abuja

Tel: +234 9413 2381

E-mail: "mailto:cokaro@iom.int">cokaro@iom.int

or

Anita Davies

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 9502

E-mail: "mailto:adavies@iom.int">adavies@iom.int