Support Programme to Integrated National Action Plans for Avian and Human Influenza
Project Brief/Background
A major component of the AU-IBAR mandate is the control of transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses.
Rationale
Since the 2003 H5N1 outbreaks in China and later on, in Europe and Africa, AU-IBAR has been actively involved in efforts to support its prevention and control interventions in Africa through the Support Programme for Integrated National Action Plans against Avian and Human Influenza (SPINAP-AHI). SPINAP-AHI was a three and half year programme executed by AU-IBAR with funding from the European Union. It was developed in response to the escalating global threat of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), especially its introduction into Africa in 2006.
With the leadership of AU-IBAR in collaboration with other technical organisations and key global actors, African countries developed Integrated Action Plans (IAPs) against HPAI and mobilized resources for its prevention and control efforts. SPINAP-AHI was a major Pan African intervention against HPAI, supporting the implementation of IAPs/INAPs.
Strategy
SPINAP-AHI's strategy was to facilitate the implementation of short term emergency preparedness components of IAPs/INAPs of participating countries. Support by the programme was based on individual country needs and priorities. AU-IBAR ensured technical support, coordination and quality assurance throughout the implementation process.
Collaboration and synergies
Influenza programmes and activities at AU-IBAR were designed to dovetail with the global strategies for the prevention and control of Avian and Human Influenza. In the execution of the SPINAP-AHI and other AHI projects, AU-IBAR worked closely with the ALive Platform, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and national authorities through their veterinary and public health departments. SPINAP-AHI also collaborated closely with other partners, notably the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Gesellschaft Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and other donor-supported HPAI interventions in Africa.
Avian influenza (AI) – also called bird flu – is a transboundary zoonotic disease. AI emerged in Asia in 2003 and was reported 2005 in Europe and 2006 in Africa.
In West Africa Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Benin as well as Egypt, Djibouti and Sudan on the Eastern side of the continent have reported infections. As predicted, the risk of the disease to become endemic in poultry seems a reality in Nigeria and Egypt.
Until today AI remains an animal disease. There has been no confirmed human to human transmission. However, as of December 2007, there were 43 human cases on the continent, 20 of them fatal.
The influenza virus might undergo genetic mutation and acquire the characteristics of a highly contagious and pathogenic disease of humans and Africa might become a reservoir for the virus from where the re-emergence of the disease could pose recurrent risk of the virus mutating or under-going re-assortment and thereby starting a human pandemic.
It is not possible to foresee when a mutation to this effect might occur or if it will happen at all but experience from most recent influenza pandemics show that consequences of a pandemic can be devastating.
Not only a human pandemic with vast numbers of people dying of the disease is a catastrophe. Even a pandemic restricted to animals could mean disaster to human life. Be it through sickness or culling measures imposed to try and contain the spread of the virus, a bird flu pandemic that kills vast parts of poultry flock would certainly have severe socioeconomic impact. For Africa in particular with its heavy dependence on poultry as primary protein source for humans, the impact on food security and the loss of income would be tremendous.
Given these extremely high risks, it is of utmost importance especially for the African continent to prepare for possible disaster scenarios. The coordination of the SPINAP programme and the participation in various AI activities and fora is IBAR's contribution towards pandemic preparedness.
On 30 April 2007, AU-IBAR and the European Commission signed a Euro 21.5 million partnership agreement for a period of 36 months.
The agreement concerns the implementation of the Support Programme to Integrated National Action Plans for Avian and Human Influenza (SPINAP-AHI) which is specifically geared towards addressing the prevention and control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in both animals and humans.
Outcomes/Objectives
Expected results and main acitvities
The programme is demand driven and addresses identified funding gaps of Integrated Country Actions Plans (IAP). For as long as no pandemic has been declared by the WHO, the majority of the programme funds is expected to support interventions in the livestock sector.
SPINAP pursues its objectives in close collaboration with the ALive Platform and national task forces in the context of global and regional strategies recommended by OIE, FAO and WHO. Results will mainly be pursued through the support of the implementation of integrated country action plans that already exist or are being developed by the beneficiary countries.
Expected results
- R1 - Capacity for prevention and control of AHI strengthened at national level
- R2 - Information and communication for the creation of awareness enhanced
- R3 - Coordination of IAP implementation supported
Stakeholders
The principal beneficiaries of SPINAP are the populations of eligible ACP countries in Africa, and especially smallholder farmers that raise poultry and who are present in most rural and many peri-urban areas as well as national institutions. Implementing partners include national governments, national and private institutions and NGOs in African ACP countries, eligible under the 9th EDF.
Other SPINAP stakeholders are the international organisations involved in the fight against HPAI, i.e. OIE, FAO, WHO, ALive, the World Bank as well as other UN agencies and international cooperating partners.
Management setup
AU-IBAR is responsible for the overall implementation of SPINAP.
A Steering Committee oversees the implementation, approves funding requests and defines programme policies.
A Programme Coordination Unit assures sound technical and financial operations on a day-to-day basis.
IBAR's Project Support Unit facilitates all its projects and enhances institutional capacity.
Three regional SPINAP coordinators based at the Regional Animal Health Centres (RAHCs) assist eligible countries with the preparation and carrying out of SPINAP support.
At country level the IAPs are coordinated and implemented by the officially appointed authorities.
Project Support Unit
The Project Support Unit at IBAR assures institutional capacity to implement SPINAP in an economical and efficient way. It develops a backstopping arrangement and further supports SPINAP with finance and administrative issues in adherence with African Union and donor requirements.
How to access funds
Applicants submit comprehensive dossiers specifying:
- Preparation and commitment to their country's IAP, incl. the financing gap left by donor funding.
- Validation of the IAP through a designated body.
- Adherence to Bamako principles and previous declarations, particularly transparency in sharing information, reporting on actions taken and coordination.
- Agreeing to external audits and accepting the results.
- Commitment to adhere to EC visibility guidelines and giving the EC financing adequate recognition.
Application basics
- Eligible applicants: Governments, NGOs, private sector
- Procedure: According to EDF protocols
- Funding limit: €1.5m per eligible country
- Activity duration: 18 months maximum
Selection priority
- 1st countries that reported HPAI outbreaks to OIE
- 2nd countries neighbouring an infected country
- 3rd other high-risk factors
- 4th other funding sources
Application process
- Line ministries prepare requests for support according to the needs specified in their national IAPs.
- The Programme Coordination Unit scrutinizes all applications for technical and financial adherence.
- The Steering Committee is responsible for the final approval.
- The ministries supervise the interventions on the basis of an MoU with IBAR.
Assessing applications
- Requests for support are assessed at different levels.
- By the coordinator and technical staff at the RAHC.
- By the Animal Health Unit at IBAR for animal-related aspects.
- By WHO for public health aspects.
- By the Programme Coordinating Unit, which prepares all-inclusive dossiers for submission to the Steering Committee for endorsement and subsequently contracts for selected beneficiaries.
Programme Coordination Unit (PCU)
Composition:
- Programme coordinator
- Monitoring and evaluation expert
- Finance manager
- Human health expert
- Animal health officer
- Wildlife expert
- Regional coordinators
The three regional SPINAP-AHI coordinators are attached to the Regional Animal Health Centres (RAHCs).
Public health issues are factored in by the public health expert of WHO within the Programme Coordination Unit.
Accountability rests with the Animal Health Unit of AU-IBAR.
Stakeholders
Steering Committee
Function
The steering committee guides the overall policy of the programme and oversees the implementation progress. It aims to ensures coherence, coordination and complementarities with regard to all the other HPAI-activities in Africa.
- Facilitate the overall programme implementation including monitoring and evaluation.
- Endorse funding criteria.
- Endorse funding proposals/requests.
- Approve/endorse programme progress reports.
- Review technical and financial documents and reports.
- Provide a platform for discussion and information sharing for all actors in the fight against avian influenza in Africa.
- Assure dissemination of information on HPAI activities in Africa.
- Facilitate contacts and cooperation with other international partners.
Stakeholders
International partners active in the fight against avian influenza in Africa are represented in the steering committee such as the AUC, AU/IBAR, the EC, OIE, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, the ACP Secretariat and the Regional Economic Communities ECOWAS, SADC, ECCAS and COMESA.
- First Steering Committee Meeting, 21 September 2007 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Recommendations
- Second Steering Committee Meeting, 14 April 2008 Rome, Italy: Resolutions and conclusions
- Third Steering Committee Meeting, 11 November 2008 Nairobi, Kenya: Resolutions
- Fourth Steering Committee Meeting, 13 March 2009 Nairobi, Kenya
- Fifth Steering Committee Meeting, November 2009 Gaborone, Botswana: Minutes
Achievements
Important milestones achieved since SPINAP-AHI inception
- A total of 12,426,903.68 Euro transferred for activities in target countries to date.
- Disease surveillance capacity, laboratory systems, including acquisition of equipment and technology, training of human resources & strengthening of bio-security systems achieved in all countries.
- Collaboration between human and animal health sectors improved including establishment of joint rapid response teams.
- Awareness creation and communication strategies developed/adopted by all participating countries.
- Acquisition of information and communication technology by all participating countries.
- Improvement and testing of emergency preparedness plans through simulation exercises.
- Management capacity enhanced among national staff involved in the coordination/implementation of the program.
- Enhanced visibility of AU-IBAR and EU in AU member states.
Key lessons learned
- Most countries have not allocated budgets for the implementation of their IAPs and must do this to sustain gains realized through the SPINAP-AHI programme.
- Cross-border coordination of efforts for the prevention and control of diseases is weak and therefore constrains efforts against such diseases. Deriving lessons from this experience, the programme is supporting the development of an Integrated Regional Coordination Mechanism within the RECs to institutionalize disease prevention and control efforts within the building blocks of Africa's integration.
- Collaboration between animal and human health sectors has been traditionally weak. Though gains have been realized through the SPINAP-AHI programme, resources should be set aside to sustain collaborative efforts and capacity building to further strengthen and advance inter-sectoral collaboration and synergy in African countries in line with the "One World, One Health" strategic framework.
Other Notes
Training conducted under SPINAP-AHI
Training of Trainers for Joint Rapid Response Teams (JRRT) on Avian and Human Influenza
SPINAP in conjunction with the CDC conducted a series of Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops for Avian and Human Influenza multi-sectoral teams from the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and Ministry or Department responsible for Wildlife as follows:
- Asmara, Eritrea 12-16 July 2010
- Libreville, Gabon 26-30 July 2010
- Lomé, Togo 9-13 August 2010
Training of national teams on Wildlife surveillance and capture
AU-IBAR through the SPINAP programme and FAO jointly implement a series of Training workshops for national teams on Wildlife surveillance and capture for countries with low capacity as follows:
- Gabon 31 May–6 June 2010
- Burkina Faso 28 June–3 July 2010
- Kenya 19–24 July 2010
- Zimbabwe 9–14 August 2010
Training of Veterinarians on Risk-based Surveillance Programming
SPINAP conducts Risk-based Disease Surveillance training for veterinarians from SPINAP-supported countries on risk based surveillance programming for avian and human influenza and other TADs and zoonoses as follows:
- Bamako, Mali 28 June–2 July 2010
- Nairobi, Kenya 5–9 July 2010
- Kigali, Rwanda 12–16 July
- Cotonou, Benin 19-23 July 2010
- Bamako, Mali 26-30 July 2010
Training of Somalia staff on Laboratory Diagnosis methods and communication
SPINAP conducted Training for Somalia staff as follows:
- Laboratory Diagnosis methods Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 20 June-2 July 2010
- Communications, Hargeisa, Somaliland 20-30 August 2010
Regional Coordination Mechanisms for Avian and Human Influenza and other Transboundary Diseases
AU-IBAR organized a meeting on regional coordina-tion mechanisms for Avian Influenza (AI) and other Trans-boundary diseases (TADs) at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Naivasha from 19th to 21st October 2009.
The main objective of the meeting was to review the current coordination arrangements at regional, discuss their strengthening, build consensus and agree on a road map to support the strengthening of coordination of AHI/TADs within and between RECs with key partners, namely World Organiza-tion of Animal Health (OIE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
A total of 17 participants drawn from the partner organizations, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and IBAR attended the meeting.