Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 23 2007

U.S. Donates More Bird Flu Equipment To Armenia

By Ruben Meloyan

The U.S. government on Friday provided Armenia with laboratory
equipment and special vehicles which officials said will
significantly improve veterinary authorities’ ability to guard
against possible outbreaks of bird flu.

The $300,000 equipment, donated to the Armenian Agriculture
Ministry’s Central Veterinary Laboratory, is part of a $2.6 million
program implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID). The one-year aid scheme is aimed at helping Armenia cope
with the potentially lethal H5N1 virus. In addition to equipment
supplies, it envisages training of Armenian veterinary officials
charged with monitoring and controlling the disease.

`As of today, Armenia has more capabilities [to deal with bird flu]
that it had before,’ the U.S. charge d’affaires in Yerevan, Anthony
Godfrey, said during an official ceremony.

`With this equipment we will be able to diagnose the existence of a
bird flu virus in any place and help people guard against it,’ agreed
Agriculture Minister David Lokian, also present at the ceremony. `It
will make us feel safer.’

The equipment transfer came just a week after the World Bank approved
$2 million in similar assistance to Armenia. The sum will be released
from a special fund set by eight donor agencies, including the
European Union, to combat the worldwide spread of avian influenza.
The World Bank had already disbursed a $6.25 million loan to Yerevan
for the same purpose last July.

Armenia is the only country in the region that has not registered any
cases of H5N1 so far. Neighboring Turkey reported last week another
more such cases in eastern regions of the country that are not far
from the Armenian border.

`I think it would be wrong to dismiss the danger of a bird flu
outbreak [in Armenia],’ Lokian said. `That danger is grave, seeing as
the bird flu virus has already been detected in all of the
neighboring states. So we must be ready to quickly detect and
localize [a possible outbreak].’