2008 Speeches

January 9, 2008

Dr. Roy L. Austin
United States Ambassador
Managing Avian Influenza Challenges
in Caribbean Live Bird Marketing Systems Conference
Centers of Excellence, Macoya

Good morning!  

I am pleased to welcome you to this conference that is so important to the Caribbean.  Although the avian influenza issue may have faded somewhat from media attention, your presence demonstrates the Caribbean Region's clear understanding of the grave threat posed by avian influenza in this age of globalization.  For the poultry industry in particular, avian influenza represents a real and immediate challenge, threatening the economic stability of this industry.    

As you may know, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been actively working with partners in the Western Hemisphere and around the world since mid-2006 to ensure that mechanisms are in place to manage the challenges associated with avian influenza.  In June 2006, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) created the International Avian Influenza Coordination Group (IAICG).  The intent is to channel USDA international assistance in the fight against avian influenza, focusing on the priorities outlined in the President's Pandemic Plan:  preparedness, communication, surveillance, detection, response, and containment.  In 2007, APHIS spent $17.8 million on its international activities, part of an overall $6.3 billion in emergency funding allocated by the U.S. Government to address the threat of avian and pandemic influenza domestically and internationally.

The APHIS spending, as implied, is part of a larger U.S. international effort to combat avian influenza.  We are working collaboratively in over 100 countries with local authorities and health workers.  Over the past year, for example, the U.S. Government has supported the training of more than 129,000 animal health workers and 17,000 human health workers in H5N1 surveillance and outbreak response.  We have also deployed more than 300,000 personal protective equipment kits to more than 70 countries for use by surveillance workers and outbreak-response teams; and U.S. experts have provided vital technical expertise to national investigations of actual outbreaks of H5N1 in countries on three continents.

Finally, I commend you for your participation and your commitment to preventing the spread of this peril. 

I thank you.