A SURVEILLANCE lab to monitor different strains of influenza will be established in Bahrain with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
It will be tasked with reviewing the country's action plan in the event of a possible outbreak of bird flu, a top Health Ministry official told the GDN yesterday.
The new lab, which will be located at the Public Health Directorate, is the result of a visit by a WHO team last week.
"The idea is to strengthen our surveillance against the dreaded bird flu and be ready with a disease control plan if it strikes," said disease control section head Dr Muna Al Mousawi.
"A WHO team, which was in Bahrain last weekend, has assessed what we have and what we need in terms of equipment, training and expertise."
She said the team would come up with a report and recommendations in the next few weeks, once it had visited all the other Gulf capitals.
The two-member team consisted of Dr Hala Ismat from the WHO Eastern Mediterr-anean Regional Office, Cairo, and Dr Atif Sulaiman, a virus department senior researcher from the American Medical Research Unit, who is also a WHO consultant.
"This will be the first reference laboratory in Bahrain and all findings will be the basis of co-ordination with the WHO," added Dr Al Mousawi.
"We were lacking this facility so far."
She said staff would be trained in detecting different strains of influenza and share the results of their work with similar centres in other countries.
However, while the new lab will be on the lookout for signs of bird flu Dr Al Mousawi urged the public not to panic - stressing that the country remained free of the deadly virus, but was stepping up its vigil with the advent of winter.
She said authorities remained on high alert and continued to conduct tests on birds, including those migrating from other countries, while the country's contingency plans are being constantly updated.
However, there is a greater risk of the virus showing up in winter. "This is because of increased migration of birds from colder countries, as well as the virus's ability to thrive during the winter," said Dr Al Mousawi.
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