Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Avian influenza preparedness, mitigation, and response: Appeal no. MDR00018- Programme Update no.2
In brief
Update no. 2; Appeal target: CHF 17.4m (USD 13.4m or EUR 11m); Appeal coverage: 18.3%; Outstanding needs: CHF 13.8m;
Appeal history:
- Appeal launched on 20 April 2006 for CHF 17.4m (USD 13.4m or EUR 11m) for up to the end of 2007.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) allocated: CHF 691,000 (USD 531,000 or ERU 438,000).
Summary: This update provides a snapshot of most recent avian influenza initiatives of East Asian and Southeast Asian national societies, especially critical in the face of the recent renewal of avian influenza outbreaks among humans and poultry. Indonesia has come into the spotlight as it has the most avian influenza related deaths ? 63 to date ? compared to other countries worldwide. In light of the number of initiatives worldwide supported by the Global Avian Influenza Appeal, donors are encouraged to provide more support to improve the low coverage of the appeal.
For further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please visit the Federation?s website at http://www.ifrc.org.
The Situation
Following an extended period of no outbreaks, since November 2006, the countries in Asia and Africa experienced a new wave of outbreaks of H5N1 in birds. Although many health specialists have advised that these occurrences are seasonal trends and do not indicate a rise in H5N1 transmission, the recent poultry outbreaks of avian influenza in China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Viet Nam are a matter of major public concern. Furthermore, the reports from Bali of two pigs that have contracted the avian influenza virus further highlighted the potential risk of the virus mutating further.
The confirmation that H5N1 was the cause of death in a six year old girl in Indonesia?s Yogyakarta (25 January 2007) once again reminded the world that the avian influenza (AI) virus continues to present a major health threat. With this human fatality, Indonesia has recorded 63 H5N1-related deaths since July 2005 - more than any other country in the world.
According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), since 2003, the H5N1 strain is known to have infected 272 people and killed 166 in eleven countries across Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa (source dated 6 February 2007: www.who.int).
Since January 2007, Hong Kong has been closely monitoring the local bird population after identifying H5N1 virus in five dead birds after a long absence of avian influenza outbreaks. There are worries over potential outbreaks in China following a reported case of the disease in an Anhui farmer in the middle of January. In Japan, the highly virulent H5 variety of the avian influenza virus killed thousands of birds and chickens in the Miyazaki prefecture. Most recently, on 29 January, Japan confirmed a fresh outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in the western prefecture of Okayama. In November of 2006, the South Korean ministry of agriculture confirmed a new highly-virulent case has broken out in central South Korea in a poultry farm in Cheonan. Most recently, during the week of 22 January, South Korean quarantine workers started to cull hundreds of thousands of poultry following another outbreak.
Red Cross and Red Crescent action
Given the potential of avian influenza?s conversion into human pandemic influenza (PI) with disastrous consequences, the International Federation continues to address avian influenza through prevention and risk mitigation activities. Globally and regionally, the Federation secretariat carries out its technical, coordination, representation, as well as funding support to the national societies, with their Respective activities and plans of action to implement measures in avian and human influenza prevention and preparedness.
It is anticipated that these initiatives provide viable risk reduction and increase the relevant national and global response capacity to AI and pandemic influenza. Many challenges remain as contributing factors to the overall vulnerability of populations to AI, such as low public awareness, misconceptions about avian influenza and safe backyard farming practices, as well as lack of appropriate hygiene habits in endemic areas.
From the Global Avian Influenza Preparedness, Mitigation and Response Appeal (MDR00018), the Federation presently supports the national societies in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia and Viet Nam. The AI appeal is broadly designed to focus on capacity building, scaling-up of capacity and management, contingency planning for concomitant disasters, communications and service continuity planning. In addition, outside this global appeal, individual national societies have continued their own plans in combating avian influenza, using technical advice and guidance from the Federation?s Secretariat.
Through its strong outreach to remote communities with its existing volunteer networks, the respective national societies play an essential role in prevention and control, through educating these communities in preventative hygiene measures, as well as the knowledge on proper handling of poultry, thus reducing the risk of loss of livelihood. activities are also furthering commitments made by Asia/Pacific national societies in November 2006, at the 7th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference in Singapore.
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In brief
Update no. 2; Appeal target: CHF 17.4m (USD 13.4m or EUR 11m); Appeal coverage: 18.3%; Outstanding needs: CHF 13.8m;
Appeal history:
- Appeal launched on 20 April 2006 for CHF 17.4m (USD 13.4m or EUR 11m) for up to the end of 2007.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) allocated: CHF 691,000 (USD 531,000 or ERU 438,000).
Summary: This update provides a snapshot of most recent avian influenza initiatives of East Asian and Southeast Asian national societies, especially critical in the face of the recent renewal of avian influenza outbreaks among humans and poultry. Indonesia has come into the spotlight as it has the most avian influenza related deaths ? 63 to date ? compared to other countries worldwide. In light of the number of initiatives worldwide supported by the Global Avian Influenza Appeal, donors are encouraged to provide more support to improve the low coverage of the appeal.
For further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please visit the Federation?s website at http://www.ifrc.org.
The Situation
Following an extended period of no outbreaks, since November 2006, the countries in Asia and Africa experienced a new wave of outbreaks of H5N1 in birds. Although many health specialists have advised that these occurrences are seasonal trends and do not indicate a rise in H5N1 transmission, the recent poultry outbreaks of avian influenza in China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Viet Nam are a matter of major public concern. Furthermore, the reports from Bali of two pigs that have contracted the avian influenza virus further highlighted the potential risk of the virus mutating further.
The confirmation that H5N1 was the cause of death in a six year old girl in Indonesia?s Yogyakarta (25 January 2007) once again reminded the world that the avian influenza (AI) virus continues to present a major health threat. With this human fatality, Indonesia has recorded 63 H5N1-related deaths since July 2005 - more than any other country in the world.
According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), since 2003, the H5N1 strain is known to have infected 272 people and killed 166 in eleven countries across Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa (source dated 6 February 2007: www.who.int).
Since January 2007, Hong Kong has been closely monitoring the local bird population after identifying H5N1 virus in five dead birds after a long absence of avian influenza outbreaks. There are worries over potential outbreaks in China following a reported case of the disease in an Anhui farmer in the middle of January. In Japan, the highly virulent H5 variety of the avian influenza virus killed thousands of birds and chickens in the Miyazaki prefecture. Most recently, on 29 January, Japan confirmed a fresh outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in the western prefecture of Okayama. In November of 2006, the South Korean ministry of agriculture confirmed a new highly-virulent case has broken out in central South Korea in a poultry farm in Cheonan. Most recently, during the week of 22 January, South Korean quarantine workers started to cull hundreds of thousands of poultry following another outbreak.
Red Cross and Red Crescent action
Given the potential of avian influenza?s conversion into human pandemic influenza (PI) with disastrous consequences, the International Federation continues to address avian influenza through prevention and risk mitigation activities. Globally and regionally, the Federation secretariat carries out its technical, coordination, representation, as well as funding support to the national societies, with their Respective activities and plans of action to implement measures in avian and human influenza prevention and preparedness.
It is anticipated that these initiatives provide viable risk reduction and increase the relevant national and global response capacity to AI and pandemic influenza. Many challenges remain as contributing factors to the overall vulnerability of populations to AI, such as low public awareness, misconceptions about avian influenza and safe backyard farming practices, as well as lack of appropriate hygiene habits in endemic areas.
From the Global Avian Influenza Preparedness, Mitigation and Response Appeal (MDR00018), the Federation presently supports the national societies in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia and Viet Nam. The AI appeal is broadly designed to focus on capacity building, scaling-up of capacity and management, contingency planning for concomitant disasters, communications and service continuity planning. In addition, outside this global appeal, individual national societies have continued their own plans in combating avian influenza, using technical advice and guidance from the Federation?s Secretariat.
Through its strong outreach to remote communities with its existing volunteer networks, the respective national societies play an essential role in prevention and control, through educating these communities in preventative hygiene measures, as well as the knowledge on proper handling of poultry, thus reducing the risk of loss of livelihood. activities are also furthering commitments made by Asia/Pacific national societies in November 2006, at the 7th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference in Singapore.
Full_Report (pdf* format - 144,8 Kbytes)
(*) Get Adobe Acrobat Viewer (free)
<!--body--><!--Attention ligne utilis?e pour l'impression-->
With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source.