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.

Objectives
SPINAP's overall objective is to contribute to the reduction of the socioeconomic impact of Avian and Human Influenza (AHI) and the potential loss of human life by assisting ACP countries in Africa with the preparation against and control of AHI in animals as well as preparing for a possible human influenza pandemic.

Purpose
SPINAP's purpose is to strengthen national capacity to prevent and control AHI. The purpose will be achieved by focussing on financial support and expertise to eligible ACP countries in Africa prioritising the implementation of Integrated Country Actions Plans (IAP) for avian and human influenza. As decided during the Beijing Conference, this includes support to mandated international and regional organisations for technical assistance, co-ordination and support activities.

In the short to medium term, this will involve strengthening national institutional capacity with the aim of controlling avian influenza and ensuring a rapid response to assure the containment of human cases of the disease. For the longer term, sector reforms and better awareness of the importance of zoonotic diseases will lead to improved strategies to fight zoonoses and better preparedness for emerging ones.

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