Govt implementing new plan to prevent bird flu outbreak
Renu Kshetry
Kathmandu, March 25:
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fu...=National&sImageFileName=&dtSiteDate=20060326
With the Council of Ministers recently approving the National Avian Influenza and Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan (NAIIPPRP) with the aim to curb the risk of bird flu through migratory birds in the country, the concerned ministries have intensified their efforts to implement the plan.
The cabinet meet endorsed the NAIIPPRP, which has a budget of $15.1 million to be spent in three years, two weeks ago.
The Ministry of Home, The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC), The Department of Livestock Services, The National Planning Commission (NPC) and The Ministry of Finance (MoF) are jointly working on the plan.
Dr Mahendra Bahadur Bista, acting director general at the Department of Health Services (DoHS), told this daily that there would be a series of meeting with donors to discuss financial support for the implementation of the plan beginning this week.
Dr Bista said the budget of $15.1 million given for the execution of the plan for the three-year period between 2006 to 2008 would be utilised in planning and co-ordination, surveillance of human Influenza virus, prevention and containment of the virus, health systems preparedness and response, communications and capacity development of the Health Laboratory.
According to Dr Manas Banerjee, acting director at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), the World Bank mission is visiting Nepal on the second week of April to discuss the financial support for the programme. ?We are hopeful of getting enough fund from our
development partners to check the spread of avian flu in the country.?
?Even the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has assured of $ 100,000 help for the execution of the plan,? said Dr Banerjee: ?Orientation programmes have already been started in five strategic districts, especially at quarantine facilities.?
Dr Banerjee said there was no specific treatment for bird flu, but if ?Tamiflu? medicine was administered within 48 hours of its detection for 5 continuous days, the disease could still be brought under control. ?We have enough medicine for 100 patients, but if there is an outbreak of bird flu, the government will get more medicine from the World Health Organisation?s South East Asia Regional Office,? said Dr Banerjee.Though no bird flu case had been reported yet, he said the country needed to be prepared.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives has already banned the inter-district transport of poultry and stopped import of poultry and eggs
Renu Kshetry
Kathmandu, March 25:
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fu...=National&sImageFileName=&dtSiteDate=20060326
With the Council of Ministers recently approving the National Avian Influenza and Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan (NAIIPPRP) with the aim to curb the risk of bird flu through migratory birds in the country, the concerned ministries have intensified their efforts to implement the plan.
The cabinet meet endorsed the NAIIPPRP, which has a budget of $15.1 million to be spent in three years, two weeks ago.
The Ministry of Home, The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC), The Department of Livestock Services, The National Planning Commission (NPC) and The Ministry of Finance (MoF) are jointly working on the plan.
Dr Mahendra Bahadur Bista, acting director general at the Department of Health Services (DoHS), told this daily that there would be a series of meeting with donors to discuss financial support for the implementation of the plan beginning this week.
Dr Bista said the budget of $15.1 million given for the execution of the plan for the three-year period between 2006 to 2008 would be utilised in planning and co-ordination, surveillance of human Influenza virus, prevention and containment of the virus, health systems preparedness and response, communications and capacity development of the Health Laboratory.
According to Dr Manas Banerjee, acting director at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), the World Bank mission is visiting Nepal on the second week of April to discuss the financial support for the programme. ?We are hopeful of getting enough fund from our
development partners to check the spread of avian flu in the country.?
?Even the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has assured of $ 100,000 help for the execution of the plan,? said Dr Banerjee: ?Orientation programmes have already been started in five strategic districts, especially at quarantine facilities.?
Dr Banerjee said there was no specific treatment for bird flu, but if ?Tamiflu? medicine was administered within 48 hours of its detection for 5 continuous days, the disease could still be brought under control. ?We have enough medicine for 100 patients, but if there is an outbreak of bird flu, the government will get more medicine from the World Health Organisation?s South East Asia Regional Office,? said Dr Banerjee.Though no bird flu case had been reported yet, he said the country needed to be prepared.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives has already banned the inter-district transport of poultry and stopped import of poultry and eggs