World Bank Approves Loan For Avian Influenza Control,
Human Pandemic Preparedness And Response In Romania
Contacts:
In Romania: Alexandra Caracoti (40 1) 201-0324
Email : acaracoti@worldbank.org
In Washington: Miriam Van Dyck 1-202-458-2931
e-mail: mvandyck@worldbank.org


Washington, September 8, 2006 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a new loan to Romania in the amount of 29.6 million
EURO (US$ 37.7 million) for the Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response project. Total project costs have
been estimated at EUR 37.5 million. The proposed project has been prepared within the framework of the Global Program for Avian Influenza Control and
Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response (GPAI), endorsed by the Bank's Board of Executive Directors on January 12, 2006. Under the GPAI,
individual countries can obtain loans to finance national programs.

Given Romania's endowment of waterfowl habitats (Danube Delta), coupled with the dominance of backyard poultry with low bio-security, future avian
influenza outbreaks in the country are likely. The natural and farming system environment creates a real possibility that the virus could become endemic,
which would further increase the risk of future outbreaks. The spread of the H5N1 virus among backyard poultry in Romania would significantly affect
Romania's agriculture and economy in general, posing the risk of human infection and presenting the danger of a spread of the infection to poultry in
other countries in the region.

The project will support a national program to increase Romania's avian and human influenza preparedness, i.e. the country's capacity to prevent and
control the spread of influenza among animals and humans. The objective of the project is to reduce the threat posed to humans and the poultry sector
in Romania by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and to support the preparation for, control of, and response to influenza pandemics and other
infectious disease emergencies in humans. To achieve this, the project will support activities in the areas of prevention, preparedness and contingency
planning, as well as response and containment under three components: (i) animal health; (ii) human health; and (iii) public awareness, communications
and implementation support.

The World Bank has been a committed partner in Romania’s development process since 1990, with loans totaling US$5 billion.

For more information on the World Bank’s work in Romania, please visit:
http://www.worldbank.org.ro

                                      For more information about the World Bank’s work on avian flu, please visit:
                                                           http://www.worldbank.org/avianflu


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