News

Apr 25, 2023

FAO Training on Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use and biosecurity in field activities [EN/AR]

Iraq 24 May 2023 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Iraq

24 May 2023 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (MoAWR)-KRG, conducted a workshop, from 21 – 24 May, on Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use and biosecurity in field activities as part of the project activities entitled "Improving Delivery of Animal Health Services and Disease Surveillance in Iraq" funded by the United States Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

The workshop aimed to increase the veterinarian field capacities and promote how they can use personal protective equipment (PPE) properly in the field. It also aimed to train technical field staff on how to protect themselves from exposure to pathogenic agents and to manage the field-based biosecurity and biosafety standards.

Thirty-Eight specialists from the veterinary services in Baghdad, Erbil, Duhok, Nineveh, Anbar, Wasit, Muthanna and Basra, including four from each federal and KRG Ministry of Health participated in the training. The session was attended by the FAO-Representative in Iraq and officials from relevant ministries.

FAO Representative, Dr. Salah El Hajj Hassan, concentrated on the importance of these workshops for field veterinarians, especially since many lethal emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases are reported within the country and in the whole region such as Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF); therefore, it requires a dedicated and sustained effort including specific technical and professional training.

Proficiency using PPE in the field is one of the important elements that contribute to biosafety and biosecurity, which provide physical barriers that prevent the hands, skin, clothing, eyes, nose, and mouth from coming into contact with infectious agents and avoiding contamination of samples during collection. This will contribute to avoiding the spread of disease in animal and human population.

The four-day training also included a field visit and practice to apply the training materials presented during the workshop.

For more information, please contact:

FAO Representative in Iraq, Dr Salah El Hajj Hassan: [email protected]

Communications Specialist for FAO Iraq, Ms. Khawla Ben Aicha: [email protected]