News
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
USAID provides 4,500 kits for bird fluISLAMABAD: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a new training project for the use of avian influenza (bird flu) equipment for 10 officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
The two-day training programme, being held in collaboration with the Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) and Leadership in Environment and Development (LEAD), will cover the use of personal protective equipment, the correct use of decontamination kits and effective practices for gathering samples and preparing them for shipment to laboratories. USAID will also provide 4,500 personal protective kits to increase Pakistani health authorities’ preparation in countering a possible outbreak. These kits will protect workers who cull affected birds and those surveying human infections. The kits will be divided between the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and the National Institute for Health (NIG) and will be stored at provincial level.
USAID will start similar training programmes and will also provide the kits to 22 other countries.
Since its first outbreak in Southeast Asia in 2003, bird flu has swept across Asia, Europe, and Africa and at least 258 human cases of bird flu were confirmed, with 154 fatalities in 10 countries. USAID has announced the provision of $191 million to support various projects for fighting bird flu and related activities in 53 countries.
In Pakistan, USAID is working on the national and provincial levels to prepare for any possible future outbreak of bird flu. Through the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), USAID has provided more than $350,000 to the National Reference Lab of Pakistan for Poultry Diseases. The funds will be used for field surveillance, post-vaccination monitoring and disease reporting throughout the country.
In addition, USAID will also provide over $5.5 million during the next three years to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to start a Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP) at the NIH. This programme will provide training to health officials at the national, provincial and district levels to conduct investigations into any infectious diseases.
The United States, through the USAID, will provide over $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance and economic growth. In addition, the United States has pledged a total of $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts to assist Pakistan and to support Pakistani government relief and reconstruction efforts. staff report
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk