This week I received a flock of new State Department fact sheets on H5N1 Avian influenza. The leader of these flying missives was : U.S. Government Support to Combat Avian and Pandemic Influenza — An Update , which reminds us of the potential seriousness of any viral mutation in creating a human flu pandemic. In the meantime, this H5N1 scourge is affecting the economy and livelihood of million of people all over the world who depend on birds for protein and income.
According to this lead Fact Sheet, since 2005 the US has allocated more than USD 6 billion in emergency funding to address the threat of avian and potential human pandemic influenza domestically and internationally. (On an analytical note, the word allocated is not the same as spent, and domestic and international funds are not broken out). USD 434 million has been pledged to support further efforts.
The second relevant fact sheet divides efforts by State Department Bureau, and South and Central Asia are in the same bureau. Within this region, a total of USD 10.5 million is being spent, with 9.4 million going to states, and 1.1 million for regional efforts in eleven states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Here is one portion of the Central Asia efforts for each of the three pillars:
1. Preparedness and Communication: Support for the development of preparedness plans in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
2. Surveillance and Detection: Developing / conducting training programs / workshops for rapid response and laboratory testing in India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
3. Response and Containment: Strengthening human response capacity for avian and pandemic influenza in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Further reading:
Department of State portal page for H5N1 Fact Sheets
Department of State portal page for H5N1 other Official Sources
Map: Thank you again, BBC. Photo: Bird Flu Information.org
