Kathmandu, May 16:

The Epidemilogy and Disease Control Division has started training six project teams to check bird flu or similar cases of illness.

Dr Manas Banerjee, acting director at epidemilogy and Disease Control Division (EDCD), said the well-trained and well-equipped teams would visit different sites from where reports of avian flu or similar diseases are filed and do the needful.

Altogether 50 persons are taking the training in six different teams which will specialise in surveillance, prevention and containment, laboratory capacity development, curative services, communications and project management to check avian flu in the country.

“Each member of the investigation team were given protective gears, vaccination against bird flu and trained on how to tackle the problem,” said Dr Banerjee.

Each team has representative from medical field, technology expert, health education and information officer to operate the Nepal Avian Influenza Prevention and Control Project for human health.

Earlier, on March 12, a meeting of the Cabinet endorsed the National Avian Influenza and Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan (NAIIPPRP) for three years from 2006.

The project is estimated to spend $15.1 million to be provided by the World Bank.

These projects will report on influenza like illness, reporting of viral pneumonia, reporting of potential outbreaks or clusters of avian influenza, investigation of reported cases and outbreaks, information feedback, information exchange with international partners.

Similarly, the project will also concentrate on thorough study on the use of routine trivalent influenza vaccine, use of pandemic influenza vaccine, and use of antivirals for prophylaxis, other preventive supplies, risk reduction guidelines and community preventive measures.