USAID Administrator Randall Tobias on bird flu spread

In the past year, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus moved rapidly outside of Southeast Asia and spread into Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.

The disease has been detected in 53 countries and threatens to derail the significant progress we have made in international development.

Globally, the disease has borne a tremendous toll. It has already cost governments and private industries billions of dollars, and caused the death or destruction of at least 220 million birds, hurting agribusiness, trade, and opportunities for economic growth. To date, it has also infected 247 humans in 10 countries; almost 60 per cent of these cases have been fatal.

In addition to loss of life, avian influenza and the risk of a pandemic pose enormous challenges to global stability. Without aggressive measures to help build preparedness and response capacity in developing countries, the disease could proliferate into a pandemic capable of overwhelming even the most sophisticated healthcare and governmental systems. The international community must remain committed to fighting avian influenza by providing assistance to developing countries to prepare for and respond to a possible pandemic.

The U.S. Government is providing emergency assistance and preparedness planning to 53 countries through support to international organizations, including the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, foreign governments, private-sector partners, and in-country organizations. With the funds announced today, USAID's total avian influenza commitment is $191 million. These funds will strengthen preparedness, surveillance and response efforts in countries around the world.

The U.S. is training first responders to learn how to use personal protective equipment, collect and ship samples, detect disease using improved laboratory equipment, and provide emergency response to outbreak situations. To protect frontline field workers so they do not contract or spread the virus, USAID has deployed approximately 93,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to 66 countries this year, and is building a stockpile of 1.5 million protective kits, 100 lab kits, and 15,000 decontamination kits for use by surveillance and outbreak-response workers.

The avian influenza virus is a major global challenge that is threatening livelihoods as well as economic and social stability, especially in countries with developing infrastructures. With our continued international engagement, as with the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, we can be best prepared to address the challenges presented by avian influenza and the threat of a pandemic. The global community must remain vigilant and committed to fighting the virus.