United States Government Provides an Additional $10.5 million to Vietnam for Avian and Pandemic Influenza Prevention and Control

November 7, 2007

The United States Embassy announced today that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is increasing its support to Vietnam to aid in the fight against the spread of avian influenza. The new USAID contribution of $8 million in grant funds builds on the existing $8.6 million USAID assistance program which, in partnership with the Vietnamese Government, supports national, provincial and district activities to combat avian influenza in poultry, and reduce the risk of the disease in humans. HHS has provided an additional $2.5 million this past year, bringing the total HHS funding to $5.5 million since 2005. 

Building on its previous Avian Influenza prevention and control program, USAID will expand its support of enhanced surveillance, effective response and containment, communication and prevention activities. Working with the Ministries of Health, and Agricultural and Rural Development through several non governmental organizations, these grants will support surveillance mechanisms, build veterinary laboratory capacity and support operational research, and will strengthen health surveillance and infection control capacities.  $1.5million will be channeled though the World Health Organization and supports Vietnam’s development of a human vaccine against avian influenza. Another $1 million is provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Government of Vietnam to provide support and technical assistance to the Ministry of Health’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Vietnam Administration on Preventive Medicine.

Since 2005, the US Government has contributed over $22 million dollars to Vietnam for its avian influenza prevention and containment efforts.