The U.S. Government (USG) has grown increasingly concerned about the presence and rapid spread around the world of the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. Its potential to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted among humans has sparked concerns about a potential human influenza pandemic. To date, H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in more than 55 countries, resulting in the death or destruction of over 220 million birds and the death of 229 people, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and U.N. health officials.
The USG support for avian influenza (AI) control has the overall goal of protecting human and animal health and mitigating the economic, social, and security consequences of HPAI in all regions of the world. USAID and its USG partners continue to undertake actions to moderate the threat of HPAI—specifically the H5N1 strain—and to minimize the risk of the emergence of a pandemic influenza virus strain , while working to coordinate international preparedness and response measures on behalf of the White House.
To support USAID’s efforts, the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT is designing logistics systems and delivering avian influenza commodities to the most at-risk countries worldwide; the project ensures that containment commodities are available for delivery to requesting countries, on demand, in a short period of time. The project works with country governments, USG and international partners, and the commercial sector to ensure the availability of AI commodities: personal protective equipment (PPE), decontamination equipment, and laboratory specimen collection and testing supplies to support AI containment and control efforts. The project’s sound supply chain management practices support the effective implementation of surveillance and outbreak response activities in countries at risk for and currently experiencing H5N1 outbreaks.
In collaboration with many USG partners, the project helps coordinate international preparedness and response measures. Partners include USAID; the U.S. Departments of State, Health and Human Services (HHS); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the Department of Agriculture (USDA); the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO); and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with other USAID-funded projects, including AI.COMM and STOP AI. The project also provides in-country technical assistance to USAID Missions, U.S. embassies, local avian influenza counterparts, as well as international partner institutions working in logistics management for avian influenza supplies.
The supply chain that the project uses to deliver AI-related commodities to the countries that need them spans from manufacturing to service delivery points. Along the way, numerous logistics and program design issues must be confronted, including—
Financing and Procurement
To support the Avian Influenza International Stockpile (AIIS), the procurement unit of the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT is actively engaged in all the procurement activities. The task order has a full-time procurement specialist devoted to procurement planning and purchasing of avian influenza-related commodities.
Warehousing and Distribution
The project established a warehouse facility in Savannah, Georgia, to house the incoming stockpile transferred from the Federal Occupational Health Service (FOH). Our partner organization, UPS, transferred the existing stockpile to the 62,000 square foot commercial warehouse, which is maintained by MAP International.
To respond to emergency requests with pre-positioned supplies within each region, the project will establish several regional distribution centers (RDCs) in strategic locations in several parts of the world. Response to emergency requests could include outbreaks in either animals or human populations.
Challenges in Implementing AI Logistics
The challenges of managing AI programs increase as the programs themselves grow, including—
Issues with coordinating procurement of AI commodities among donors.
Difficulty in securing warehousing and distribution of AI products to ensure proper storage.
Lack of historical data or precedents to define commodity requirements.
