Five-year program aimed at preventing future pandemic diseases awarded to DAI

Oct 30 2009

DAI has been awarded a five-year program aimed at preventing future pandemics such as HIV/AIDS and H1N1.

The global infectious disease program, called RESPOND, funded at up to $185 million, is the largest of five U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) projects designed to improve local institutional capacity to respond to "zoonotic" diseases--those that originate in animals and develop the capacity to infect humans.

"Even a partial list of recent zoonotic diseases--SARS, West Nile Virus, Ebola, avian influenza, novel H1N1--reveals the urgency of our work at the intersection of human and animal health," said Jerry Martin, Managing Director of DAI's Health Sector. "We're honored to implement this critically important program and excited to play a leadership role in responding to the next pandemic threat."

DAI leads a distinguished RESPOND team including the University of Minnesota, Tufts University, Training Resources Group, Inc., and Ecology and Environment, Inc.

This multidisciplinary team will build the capacity of national institutions of animal and public health to address emerging zoonotic diseases in designated "hot spot" regions. The project will be based in Washington, D.C., with possible field work implemented in regional hub offices across the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia, the Amazon Basin, and the Gangetic Plain.

Combining animal and human health epidemiology and disease surveillance, RESPOND will employ an integrated approach that unites physicians, public health officials, veterinarians, and the private sector to combat emerging disease on a global scale. The program will focus on long-term field epidemiology training, short-term in-service training, and academic preparation for health professionals. The program will also seek to identify and counter outbreaks while they are still within animal populations, as well as strengthen the capacity to respond to outbreaks within human communities.