The top veterinary officials of four West African countries are to join forces to battle the possible spread of avian influenza in the region.

Closing a two-day ground-breaking meeting June 5 in Sunyani, a regional capital close to the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire border, the chief veterinary officers of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo issued a statement calling for better communication and information exchange among countries of the region to control outbreaks of avian influenza.