AVIAN AND HUMAN INFLUENZA - Common Principles of Intervention
In accordance with the intervention processes jointly agreed upon at the Beijing conference, the introduction of AHI prevention and control measures must be preceded by a three-step process:
Rapid Assessment --> Integrated National Action Program --> Multi-Donor Financing Plan
While programs and projects must make animal health a priority—i.e., by identifying national herd characteristics, production systems, etc., and emergency interventions for early detection and rapid intervention—they must also take into account the risks of human contamination and pandemic spread, as well as the socio-economic impacts for all those involved. This is why they are referred to as Integrated National Action Programs (INAPs).
Once these three steps have occurred, donors then activate their own intervention mechanisms and procedures for the design and implementation of activities that they will finance. The mobilization of international funds by the developing countries needs to follow this intervention sequence. It may happen, however, that some skip the Rapid Assessment step and go directly to the stage of INAP preparation. In that case, the result of the Rapid Assessment (performed after the INAP is prepared) will make it possible to firm up the existing INAP, as necessary.
Any AHI prevention or control measure must be based on a reliable diagnostic of the country situation. The ALive Partnership has therefore approved terms of reference for the conduct of a Rapid Assessment (click on TORs for Rapid Assessment under
Products
) of the situation with regard to avian influenza; these TORS henceforth constitute a recognized and standardized basis for analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rapid Assessments are to be carried out at the request of countries. In accordance with goals set by the international community at the Beijing and Geneva conferences, immediate needs as well as medium and long term needs must be identified in order to bring about sustained improvement in country capacities and, in specific connection with animal health, in the capacity to prevent and combat not only avian influenza but also the major emergent and re-emergent animal diseases. In this connection, the assessment of veterinary departments is based on the ‘Performance, Vision and Strategy’ (PVS) tool developed by OIE.
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Integrated National Action Programs
(INAPs)
INAPs are to be directed by the countries (via their National Coordinating Committees) and prepared—on the basis of a Rapid Assessment, if possible—with the help of international technical experts. This help is supplied either directly by the international technical organizations (OIE, FAO, OMS) or, in the case of animal health, through the Regional Animal Health Centers (to be set up for Sub-Saharan Africa in Bamako, Gaborone and Nairobi), in liaison with the Regional Economic Communities. If these experts cannot participate in the preparation of the INAPs, these documents must then be validated after the fact by OIE and FAO: OIE for aspects relevant to veterinary departments and FAO for other livestock topics.
The Integrated Action Plans, once prepared and validated, will be submitted by the countries to the various financing partners with a view to establishing jointly a financing plan that distributes activities coherently, i.e., one that endeavors to cover all needs while at the same time avoiding redundant financing.
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