U.S. Supports Vietnam’s Avian Influenza Preparedness

The United States Government is providing Vietnam with more than 11,000 sets of personal protective equipment and four laboratory kits to help health workers respond quickly to potential new outbreaks of avian or H1N1 influenza, release the U.S Embassy in Hanoi on March 22.  

 

This assistance package, valued at over US$100,000 and implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), comes at the request of Vietnam's Ministry of Health, with technical support from the World Health Organization.

 

These supplies are being sent to regional hygiene and epidemiology institutes and Pasteur Institutes and provinces throughout the country most at risk of bird flu or in greatest need of the supplies, which include such items as protective suits, masks, gloves, infection testing swabs.

 

The protective gear is intended for use in high-risk provinces to prevent human exposure to the highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza virus. The gear will limit the risk of animal-to-human and human-to-human infections during human case detection and treatment, outbreak investigations and response as well as other activities. The package of materials will help protect health care workers and others involved on the prevention and response of H5N1 or other pandemic threats at health facilities and in communities in Vietnam.

 

Since 2005, the U.S. Government has provided more than US$50 million to support Vietnam's programs to combat avian influenza.