Contacts: In Yerevan: Vigen Sargsyan, (374 10) 524-884 vsargsyan@worldbank.org In Washington:Miriam Van Dyck (202) 458-2931 mvandyck@worldbank.org Washington, June 5, 2006 – The World Bank’s Board of Directors approved June 2 a credit of US$6.25 million for the Avian Influenza Preparedness Project (AIP) for Armenia. This project will assist the Government of Armenia in minimizing the threat posed to humans by avian influenza infection in domestic poultry and prepare for the control and response to an influenza pandemic and other infectious disease emergencies in humans. The Government has implemented several measures to prevent avian influenza from spreading to Armenia and to decrease the negative impact on poultry producers. However, reported outbreaks in neighboring countries have resulted in increased public health concerns and have impacted negatively both small-holder and large-scale poultry producers. In order to address the challenges ahead, the AIP project will contribute to diminishing the risk and burden of avian influenza and loss of productivity in Armenia, limiting the regional spread of the disease, and enhancing economic and social prospects at the national, regional, and global levels. “With the interventions proposed in this project, it should be possible to minimize the threat of an avian influenza pandemic in Armenia through advance preparations to meet the challenge,” said Mark Lundell, head of the World Bank team designing the project. “This project will give assurances to the public that the country has a comprehensive plan to help stop the spread of future avian influenza outbreaks.” The AIP project has three components. In the animal health sector, it will target the prevention, control, and eradication of the avian influenza virus through improved surveillance, strengthened detection capacity of the reference laboratory, and improved bio-safety in the poultry sector. In the human health sector, the project will reduce the impact of a pandemic influenza virus through year-round surveillance, effective and accurate methods of diagnosis, social distance interventions, and strengthened medical services. Also, the project will target public awareness to increase the attention and commitment of government, the private sector, and civil society, and to raise awareness, knowledge, and understanding among the general population about the risk and potential impact of a pandemic. Upon project completion, Armenia will achieve improved effectiveness of animal and public health services in limiting the spread of an avian influenza outbreak and a possible pandemic in the country. Poultry producers, distributors, and retail vendors are expected to achieve widespread adoption of recommended practices for the prevention and control of avian influenza. In addition, polling of experts will improve to better gauge avian influenza readiness in Armenia. The project will also be supported by a US$803,900 co-financing Policy and Human Resource Development (PHRD) Grant from the Japanese Government. The grant will support capacity building and technical assistance activities within the AIP Project. The credit will be made to Armenia on standard IDA terms, including 40 years maturity and a 10-year grace period. Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, commitments to Armenia have totaled approximately US $927.25 million for 43 operations. For more information on the World Bank’s activities in Armenia, please visit:
http://www.worldbank.org.am For more information about the World Bank’s work on avian flu: http://www.worldbank.org/avianflu
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