WCS Leads Initiative To Track Avian Influenza Overseas

Dr. William Karesh, director of the WCS Field Veterinary Program ©WCS/Julie Maher

The U.S. government has given a new boost to the efforts of WCS and partner organizations to monitor wild bird populations for avian influenza around the globe. Support for the Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance (GAINS) comes in the form of $6 million, which includes a $5 million award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 million from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The avian influenza surveillance network was devised to detect the virus in wild migratory and resident bird populations, identify new strains of the virus that could be used to update vaccines, and create an open database for real-time information sharing on this and other pathogens. As the leader of the initiative, WCS will work in tandem with USAID, the CDC, Wetlands International, Birdlife International, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and others to ensure better protection against the looming pandemic.

“We applaud USAID for taking this important step in the fight to prevent the spread of avian influenza,” said WCS President Dr. Steve Sanderson. “With help from key partners across the globe, we will be able to eliminate critical gaps in our understanding of this deadly pathogen. With continued funding, this network can become a great bulwark against global threats to public health.”

WCS’s Field Veterinary Program has been active in monitoring for the avian influenza pathogen for nearly two decades. This latest collaborative effort will ensure that domestically and globally, we continue to generate sound science that informs a targeted defense against the disease’s spread. Its results could ultimately help save millions of lives.

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