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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Avian Flu Is Top Health Priority Says USAID Administrator
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2005
2005-089
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC - In a worldwide message to employees, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew S. Natsios said that crafting an effective and coordinated response to the threat of avian and pandemic influenza is currently the top global health priority for the agency. Following that action, Administrator Natsios dispatched USAID's senior health official -- Dr. Kent R. Hill, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health -- to Southeast Asia, the region currently most affected by the virus.
Hill will serve as a part of the official U.S. delegation touring Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia in October. The delegation will be led by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, joined by officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Agriculture, as well as World Health Organization Director-General J.W. Lee.
"The United States has a long history of providing assistance to other nations and advancing development," Administrator Natsios said. "In the modern global economy, we must be especially prepared for threats that do not discriminate. The avian influenza virus, H5N1, knows no borders. That is why USAID, along with our U.S. and international partners, is taking quick action. Our experts on the ground are in a unique position to see what is happening in the region."
Administrator Natsios' emphasis on avian flu preparedness, response and containment further supports the new International Partnership for Avian and Pandemic Influenza, announced by President George W. Bush during the recent 60th United Nations General Assembly. The Partnership is committed to protecting human and animal health, as well as mitigating the global socioeconomic and security consequences of an influenza pandemic. It centers around 10 Core Principles:
- International cooperation to protect the lives and health of our people;
- Timely and sustained high-level global political leadership to combat avian and pandemic influenza;
- Transparency in reporting of influenza cases in humans and in animals caused by strains that have pandemic potential, to increase understanding, preparedness and, especially to ensure rapid and timely response to potential outbreaks;
- Immediate sharing of epidemiological data and samples with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community to detect and characterize the nature and evolution of any outbreaks as quickly as possible, by utilizing, where appropriate, existing networks and mechanisms;
- Rapid reaction to address the first signs of accelerated transmission of H5N1 and other highly pathogenic influenza strains so that appropriate international and national resources can be brought to bear;
- Prevent and contain an incipient epidemic through capacity building and in-country collaboration with international partners;
- Work in a manner complementary to and supportive of expanded cooperation with and appropriate support of key multilateral organizations (WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organization for Animal Health);
- Timely coordination of bilateral and multilateral resource allocations; dedication of domestic resources (human and financial); improvements in public awareness; and development of economic and trade contingency plans;
- Increased coordination and harmonization of preparedness, prevention, response and containment activities among nations, complementing domestic and regional preparedness initiatives and encouraging where appropriate the development of strategic regional initiatives; and
- Actions based on the best available science.
In addition to the U.S. delegation tour in Southeast Asia, USAID is taking part in a meeting of Partnership senior officials today at the U.S. Department of State. Participants plan on using the meeting as a forum to identify gaps, and outline roles for Partnership countries and international organizations.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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