USAID Advances U.S. International Engagement On Avian Flu

[Guest guest]

Press Release Source: U.S. Agency for International Development

USAID Advances U.S. International Engagement On Avian Flu

Tuesday May 16, 1:56 pm ET

WASHINGTON, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The following fact sheet is being

issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development:

At a Glance

* Avian influenza (AI) H5N1 is a top priority for the U.S. Agency

for

International Development (USAID), and current agency

initiatives focus

on containing avian influenza in animals, and limiting its

spread among

people. International activities are being implemented in Asia

and the

Near East, Europe and Eurasia, Africa, and in Latin America and

the

Caribbean. Overall, USAID is committing $155 million in

foreign aid for

avian flu activities in 46 countries.

* To date, USAID has provided $54 million in assistance and

grants to

affected and at-risk countries, and will obligate an additional

$101

million in avian influenza assistance by June 1, 2006. USAID

is using

these funds to implement programs regionally and through USAID

missions,

non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international

partners like

the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Food and

Agriculture

Organization (FAO). USAID also collaborates with other U.S.

Government

departments, private-sector partners, local governments and

organizations for pandemic preparedness and response.

* As the H5N1 virus has spread throughout Asia and the Near East,

Europe

and Eurasia, and Africa, USAID has provided support for rapid

outbreak

response by setting aside international emergency funds for

rapid

response to new H5N1 outbreaks. These funds are used to

provide in-

country assistance and commodities for first responders.

* Agency priorities for avian influenza programs focus on five key

objectives for improved readiness and response capacity:

planning and

preparedness, surveillance, essential supplies and equipment

(stockpiling), communications, and outbreak response.

Key Objectives for International Action

Planning and Preparedness activities support a country's ability to

build capacity for monitoring, detection, and response to avian

influenza in order to prevent further spread and lessen its impact on

animal and human populations.

* In collaboration with its partners, USAID is supporting

international

planning and preparedness by providing technical assistance to

develop

and support national avian and pandemic influenza task forces

and

preparedness plans in 46 countries.

For example, in Madagascar, a tabletop outbreak simulation

exercise

conducted in March by the Government of Madagascar, with

support from

USAID and other U.S. government agencies, helped to identify

weaknesses

and resource needs in case of a large-scale disease outbreak.

The

exercise supported the implementation of Madagascar's national

AI plan.

USAID has also supported preparedness meetings with its

missions in Asia

and the Near East, Europe and Eurasia, Africa, and Latin

America and the

Caribbean, and has supported regional coordination. In April

2006, a

USAID-supported regional coordination meeting, hosted by WHO

and FAO,

was held in Ankara, Turkey. Technical, working-level

delegations from

the ministries of health and agriculture from Turkey, Georgia,

Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria focused on promoting

cross-

border collaboration and information-sharing on avian influenza

activities including the sharing of H5N1 samples and monitoring

of

migratory birds and cross-border trade of poultry. Follow-up

coordination among neighboring countries in these areas is

anticipated.

Surveillance is a country's ability to detect cases of avian

influenza in animals, and influenza-like illnesses in people. USAID

is providing support for resources, like diagnostic equipment, and

experts to provide assistance for enhanced surveillance capacity on

national and regional levels.

* USAID works with host governments and non-governmental partners

to

strengthen disease detection efforts, such as in Iraq during

October

2005, when USAID and other U.S. Government partners assisted

Iraq's

Ministry of Agriculture and the Kurdistan Regional Government

in the

formation of veterinary-agricultural surveillance teams. The

teams were

trained to collect samples from farms with high levels of

poultry

mortality and to test for the avian influenza type-A virus, and

use

global positioning systems to track the geographic spread of the

disease. Support was also provided to Iraq to convene inter-

ministerial

meetings that led to the formulation of a national response

plan to

prepare for a possible outbreak of avian influenza. USAID also

works

with international partners to strengthen surveillance

efforts. For

example, in collaboration with the U.N. Food and Agriculture

Organization, USAID provided $6 million in 2005 to develop

early warning

systems for detecting avian influenza outbreaks through

community-based

field surveillance and enhanced public awareness in Southeast

Asia.

Stockpiling of essential supplies and equipment ensures that

necessary diagnostic and protective materials are immediately

available when and if an avian influenza outbreak occurs.

* USAID has dedicated $56 million for an international stockpile

of

essential supplies and equipment for avian influenza-related

activities,

and is building a global stockpile of 1.5 million sets of

personal

protective equipment (PPE) and 15,000 decontamination kits for

rapid

deployment. PPE contains needed handling materials to prevent

human

exposure to the H5N1 virus, such as gloves, masks and body

suits.

To date, USAID has deployed more than 36,000 sets of PPE for

first

responders to outbreaks in 22 countries in Asia and the Near

East,

Europe and Eurasia, and Africa. The Agency also provides

technical

assistance for controlling avian influenza and is deploying

kits for

proper sample collection and transport to laboratories for

verification

of H5N1.

Communication is key to creating awareness among the public about

avian influenza and risk factors, how to limit its spread, and what

to do if it is suspected. Working through global programs, private

partners, non- governmental organizations and local governments,

USAID is supporting communications activities in 34 countries,

including increased public outreach and the development of targeted

communications strategies and educational materials.

* In Azerbaijan, USAID's agricultural development project has

printed and

distributed leaflets on avian influenza to target populations,

and has

adapted television public-service announcements (PSAs),

originally

developed by USAID/Ukraine. The PSAs have been broadcast on

Azeri

television.

Outbreak Response activities are focused on building capacity of

animal and health workers to respond to H5N1 outbreaks using methods

that limit further spread of the virus. USAID is supporting efforts

in 20 countries for improved animal culling and disposal practices

and for enhanced biosecurity procedures in poultry-raising settings.

For human response efforts, USAID provides support for supplies,

training in case management and infection control, and assistance for

development of procedures at health facilities.

* In Indonesia, USAID is supporting FAO to establish an emergency

team of

experts to battle against avian influenza in poultry and

establish local

disease control centers in hot-spot areas. These centers offer

up-to-

date information and will train animal health technicians and

veterinarians in how to carry out rapid disease investigations

and

implement control measures, such as culling, vaccination, and

biosecurity.

For more information on USAID's avian flu programs, visit

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/news_items/avian

_influen za.html

http://biz./prnews/060516/dctu052.html?.v=48