Thursday, May 17, 2007

U.S. donates bird flu equipment to Cambodia

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli (R) poses with a Cambodian performer dressed as a chicken in a warehouse in Phnom Penh during the handover ceremony of medical equipment May 17, 2007. The U.S. government donated a package of medical equipment to help control the spread of bird flu in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

May 17, 2007

The U.S. government donated 65,000 U.S. dollars worth of avian influenza equipment to the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Thursday.

The U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has donated 4,500 sets of personal protection equipment and 50 decontamination kits to the Cambodian side, a press release said, adding that the items will assist the Cambodian government in its efforts to fight avian influenza and other potential pandemic diseases.

The equipment includes protective suits, respirators, goggles and gloves, Joseph Mussomeli, the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, said while addressing the handover ceremony.

This equipment will be distributed to the front-line workers who come in direct contact with infected poultry, and will be used during the collection of samples and the culling of diseased flocks, he said, adding that the decontamination kits will limit the risk of animal-to-animal and animal-to-human infection during an outbreak response by reducing the presence of the virus in the affected community.

Since 2004, Cambodia has experienced 22 bird flu outbreaks that killed 7 people, according to official statistics.

Source: Xinhua

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We, Cambodians, are very ashamed to have an uneducated prime minister like ah Hun Sen

Reporters have rights to ask any question to high-rank officials, either prime minister, in the world.

If ah Hun Sen (Kbal youn khloun Sat') told RFA reporters are insolent, so ah Hun Sen is very ILL-BRED and uneducated barbarian person