Cambodia Prepared to Combat Avian Influenza

AKP: Phnom Penh October 26, 2005
The Royal Government of Cambodia is fully prepared to take part in regional effort to prevent bird-flu from being pandemic in the country, says H.E. Nhim Vanda, first vice-chairman of Cambodia’s National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM) .

Delivering his key note address at a one-and-a-half-day workshop in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, H.E. Nhim Vanda, who is also Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, said that all stakeholders should work together to cope with the avian influenza (AI) caused by the H5N1 virus found in poultry and bird.
“We intend to stop the AI pandemic although it does not transmit from one person to another ”, he said and added “It doesn’t matter who we are- the Cambodian People’s Party or the Funcinpec” in the coalition government but “we have to minimize and then stop the AI pandemic ”.
Douglas Gardner, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) told participants at the workshop that the United Nations has established a regional inter-agency to provide additional support to effort at individual countries in the region in combating the pandemic.
“I hope the workshop will produce a comprehensive strategy as part of Cambodia’s national preparedness plan ” , said Douglas.
The workshop was jointly organized by the UN country team in Cambodia and the country’s National Committee on Disaster Management. Participating in the function are representatives from government’s Ministries of Information, Agriculture, UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WHO and OCHA. (ends)