Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina State veterinary Office Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Agriculture, Water management and Forestry BH Federation Ministry of Agriculture, Water management and Forestry Republika Srpska Ministry of Health BH Federation Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Republika Srpska The World Bank office in BH SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 12, 2008 – Implementation of the Avian Influenza Preparedness Project has effectively started today at a workshop in Sarajevo, attended by representatives of the state and entity governments, local health and veterinary experts, foreign donors and World Bank officials. This project, which is worth USD 7 million and which was declared effective earlier this year, is aimed at minimizing the threat posed both to humans and domestic animals and poultry by the Avian Influenza or any other zoonoses, such as Brucellosis, and to prepare for, respond to and control this or other pandemics. The project will include several key components, including human and animal health protection and disease prevention and control, support for the poultry culling compensation scheme, as well as a country-wide communication campaign. Among other activities, the project will support strengthening of health and veterinary services, disease surveillance, diagnostic capacity and applied research, as well as enhancing public health program planning and coordination. “The idea for this project was initiated in February 2006, when Bosnia and Herzegovina registered its first case of Avian Influenza at the Pliva Lake near Jajce. Yet the implementation of this project could assist BH institutions in dealing with other zoonoses, such as Brucellosis which is currently causing serious concerns in the country,” said Ms Cora Shaw, the World Bank task team leader for this project. In addition to the inherent devastating affect which uncontrolled outbreak of any zoonoses could have on the population and their health, their effect on domestic and wild animals, poultry and birds could have a major impact on BH’s economy and environment, as well as setback on the country’s meeting of EU food safety and animal health standards. As an example, poultry production and consumption in BH were seriously affected in 2006, following the one outbreak of Avian Influenza in Bosnia and several other scattered cases in the region in that year. This relatively limited occurrence showed the impact that an outbreak of Avian Influenza or some other zoonozes can have on country’s real economy. Over the past few years a number of international organizations, including the European Commission (EC), World Health Organization (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have been funding and/or participating in a wide set of activities, which have been assisting BH state and entity governments and institutions to address the threat of Avian Influenza. The Project has been designed in close cooperation with these organizations to leverage the maximum financing possible and to avoid duplication of efforts. |
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