Mustapha Activates Multi-Agency Task Force and Intensifies Border Quarantine

By Alethea Grant | HGP Nightly News |

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The Ministry of Agriculture has placed Guyana on high alert, rolling out aggressive biosecurity protocols and strict farm hygiene standards nationwide after officially confirming an H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) outbreak in neighboring Suriname.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha announced on Thursday that the ministry initiated emergency defensive countermeasures immediately after receiving formal notification earlier in the week from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

To safeguard Guyana’s poultry stock—more than 4 million birds across Regions Four, Five, and Six alone—the government has established an inter-agency coordinating committee, strengthened official and unofficial border entry points along the Corentyne River, and expanded randomized veterinary testing at commercial and smallholder poultry facilities nationwide.

Emergency Response: Multi-Stakeholder Committee Activated

Addressing the threat to national food security and animal health, Minister Mustapha disclosed that preemptive monitoring had begun even before multilateral verification was completed:

• Task Force Leadership: The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) spearheads the emergency multi-stakeholder committee and convenes high-frequency coordination meetings up to twice weekly.
• Inter-Agency Enforcement: The task force brings together the Civil Defense Commission (CDC), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Poultry Producers Association to ensure synchronized border interdiction, emergency readiness, and supply-chain oversight.

“When I heard about the rumors I started to put things in place, as a matter of fact, I activate a multi-stakeholder committee that is meeting very regularly, sometimes twice per week, sometimes. We have the GLDA, which is of course, taking the lead, but we have a number of other organisations,” Minister Mustapha revealed.

Border Fortifications at Moleson Creek and Corentyne River Corridors

Given the shared river boundary with Suriname, field monitoring has been heavily concentrated along the eastern frontier:

• Moleson Creek Quarantine: Veterinary inspections and agricultural quarantine measures at the Moleson Creek ferry terminal have been reinforced to intercept incoming passenger baggage and commercial freight.
• Targeting Backtrack and Unofficial Crossings: The GPF and GRA have increased surveillance at known unofficial river landings where small watercraft cross between Suriname and the Corentyne coast, enforcing a strict ban on poultry, eggs, feathers, and other avian by-products.

“Especially in Region Six. The quarantine section at Moleson Creek has been strengthened tremendously, and there are also some unofficial sites where normally vessels come across from Suriname. We are also strengthening those areas to ensure that we don’t have any of those poultry products come across to our country,” Mustapha explained.

Surveillance Across 1,025 Farms and Over 4 Million Birds

With avian flu carrying the potential to devastate local farm livelihoods and spike consumer food prices, state veterinary extension networks have been deployed at full capacity:

• Scale of Exposure: Ministry inventories count 1,025 poultry farms and 24 major plucking shops serving a commercial population of more than 4 million birds across Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
• Integrated Field Teams: Field personnel from the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) have been paired with GLDA veterinary officers to conduct daily inspections, clinical reviews, and random serological sampling.
• Public Information Campaign: The task force will begin distributing educational brochures to commercial producers and backyard farmers outlining early clinical indicators and biosecurity sanitation guidelines.

“We are monitoring it on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, I have increased the extension services in the GLDA, and the NPPO staff plus the NAREI staff are also complementing the GLDA staff. So, we have put intense mechanisms in place to strengthen surveillance around the country. We are also doing a lot of random testing in various parts of the regions so hopefully we will not have an outbreak here.”

Clinical Warning Signs: Understanding the H5N1 Threat

Although Guyana has never recorded a confirmed case of avian influenza within its borders, the H5N1 strain is classified as highly pathogenic. In unprotected flocks, the virus spreads rapidly and can cause up to 100% mortality, often within 24 to 48 hours of infection.

Farmers and poultry handlers are urged to report any sudden flock sickness exhibiting the following clinical symptoms immediately to the GLDA:

• Sudden and unexplained flock deaths.
• Purple discoloration and acute swelling of the comb, wattles, and legs.
• Severe respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing, and ocular/nasal discharges.
• Neurological deficits, including tremors, loss of coordination, twisted necks (torticollis), or inability to stand.
• Watery, profuse diarrhea, typically characterized by a distinct greenish-white discharge.

The Ministry of Agriculture has assured that monitoring mechanisms will remain active until international animal health authorities verify that the threat in Suriname has been effectively contained.