The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has expressed its commitment to supporting Malawi in the prevention of Zoonotic diseases.
This comes as Malawi government through the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization FAO has launched the “Enhancing Animal Health Capacities to Mitigate Zoonotic Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance Risks and Threats in Malawi Project” funded by USAID.
In her remarks, Director of Health, Population and Nutrition at USAID, Christina Lau said the US Government is committed to supporting Malawi Government in preventing Zoonotic diseases.
“The United States government is committed to partner with the Malawian government in preventing avoidable diseases outbreaks and rapid response,” said Lau.
On the other hand, Director of Animal Health and Livestock Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Julias Chulu hailed FAO and USAID for investing in a very important but neglected area of diseases and conditions common to both humans and animals.
Chulu added that the project is important in strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant ministries to combat zoonotic diseases, providing training for field, lab, and point-of-entry staff to quickly respond to new disease outbreaks.
In his remarks, FAO Livestock Specialist, Stewart Chikomola, indicated that the project has come at the right time as Malawi is facing global challenges.
Chikomola reiterated on the need for one-health approach, involving collaboration across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors.
Meanwhile, other partners involved in the project’s implementation include the Department of Fisheries, Department of Wildlife, Department of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism, Capacitating for One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA), Inter Aide, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The project will run for five years and USAID is supporting Malawi Government for the 2023-2024 period with US$1.8 Million and funding will be reviewed annually in years to come.
