Sudan - Emergency Relief Support to Combat Avian Influenza in 2006

The project is a US$ 500,000 emergency assistance to support the Sudanese government’s initiatives on preparedness to combat avian influenza in 2006. This support will compliment assistance by these development partners to avert a social and economic catastrophe by making it possible to prevent an outbreak or contain the Avian Flu in the event of an outbreak. It includes two components covering the human and animal health. The Animal Health component is supported with a lump sum of US$ 300,000. It provides for the supply of chemicals and equipment for control and prevention of flu; provision of protective clothing for veterinary personnel and flu control teams; purchase of vaccines and awareness campaigns and information dissemination to farmers. The Human Health component will be allocated a lump sum of US$ 200,000. The activities includes strengthening of human disease surveillance and diagnostic capacity. The focus will be put on the development and dissemination of surveillance materials, and training of health staff in surveillance and laboratory standard operating procedures; improvement of communication and networking between flu laboratories, including veterinary and public health laboratories; development of laboratory guidelines and data systems for pandemic influenza and the dissemination of data management tools for influenza surveillance within the Sudan.