International Donors Respond to the Rising Cost of Avian Flu Prevention

December 13, 2006 -- Last week, international donors met in Bamako, Mali to address funding for global avian flu efforts. The H5N1 strain of avian flu that is currently circulating the globe is raising concerns among the international community. To counteract a potential pandemic, a recent World Bank report estimated that avian flu programs will cost up to $1.5 billion over the next three years.

Donors at the Bamako Conference pledged a total of $475 million. While this falls short of the World Bank’s estimate, these funds will allow several critical programs to operate in the upcoming year. The United States’ pledge of $100 million, exceeds other pledges demonstrating U.S. leadership on tackling this global health problem. Additionally, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Agency also pledged $10 million of its own budget toward the development of these programs.

A United States State Department report on the conference stated that “weak animal and human health infrastructures, poor disease surveillance, and populations beset with HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis make African nations particularly vulnerable to emerging diseases, including avian influenza.” The Bamako Conference included discussion of developing preventative programs in Africa. Programs include rapid detection and veterinary training. Africa has a large poultry population, with a majority of the birds kept in rural areas, making them prone to infection from migratory birds. Trade in poultry products also threatens to disperse the disease throughout the continent.

Early in 2006, at the Beijing Conference in January, donors pledged $1.9 billion for global avian flu efforts, of which an estimated $800 million has already been spent. At that conference, the United States pledged $343 million.


Updated December 13, 2006