HAITÍ

Geography
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, occupies one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, sharing it with the Dominican Republic. The geographic coordinates are 19° 00' N, 72° 25' W. Haiti also includes many smaller islands such as La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Les Cayemites, Île de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navasse is claimed by both Haiti and the United States. Its highest point is Chaine de la Selle. The total area of Haiti is 27,750 km². Ile de la Gonave and Ile de la Tortue comprise Haiti's principal offshore territories. The population of Haiti is 8,706,497 with a population growth rate of 2.453%. The capital is Port-au-Prince (pop. 2 million). The other main city is Cap Haitien (population 600,000). The terrain includes rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys with a large east-central elevated plateau. Haiti’s climate is tropical but semiarid conditions exist where the mountains in east cut off the trade winds.

The Poultry Industry
In 2006, approximately 1.5 million broiler birds were produced and processed in Haiti. There were only 30 commercial broiler farmers but an estimated 600,000 back yard poultry farmers. In 2006, 40,000 layers produced approximately 7,000,000 eggs for the local economy.
Eggs and day-old chicks are imported from both the USA and the Dominican Republic.  Vaccines used in the industry include Newcastle Disease and Gumboro’s Disease vaccines. The main diseases encountered by poultry farmers are Gumboro’s Disease, chronic respiratory disease and coryza. According to records, the only outbreak of a poultry disease in the last five years was Gumboro’s Disease, which occurred two years ago.
The Ministry of Agriculture employs a total of 25 veterinarians, 34 Animal Health Assistants and 14 laboratory technicians. The Animal and Plant Protection Act and Regulations regulate the importation of animals including poultry and sets out disease control and preventative measures in the event of an outbreak.
The veterinary diagnostic laboratory is relatively well equipped with microscopes, ELISA machines, centrifuges, incubators, sterilizers and equipment and supplies for parasitology, virology and bacteriology. For AI surveillance, the laboratory staff is able to conduct ELISA, HI and the rapid tests. Over the past decade the Veterinary Services has received a significant amount of technical assistance (including laboratory support) from international agencies in an effort to control and eradicate Classical Swine Fever from the swine population.